Note: If you cannot find crème fraîche, sour cream can be substituted.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablepsoon butter
1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced lengthwise
4 ounces thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon (about 4 slices), diced
8 ounces crème fraîche (1 cup)
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 portion pizza bread, recipe follows
Preheat oven with pizza stone to 450 degrees F.
Warm oil and butter in a large sauté pan set over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer onion to a bowl. Add bacon to same pan and cook until crisp and most of the fat has rendered, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon to a second bowl.
To onion, add crème fraîche; mix until combined. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Pull dough into a small rectangle. Transfer to an 12-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet. Work edges of dough with fingers, pressing and stretching dough into corners and sides of pan, making sure dough is even 1/4-inch thickness throughout.
Spread dough with onion and crème fraîche mixture almost to edges. Top with crisped bacon. Bake until edges are golden brown and mixture is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.
Pizza Bread
Recipe for "fougasse" adapted from Richard Bertinet's Dough: Simple Contemporary Breads.
18 ounces bread flour (4 cups)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 ounce dry yeast (2 1/4-ounce packets or 1-1/2 tablespoons)
1-1/2 cups warm water
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Proof yeast in warm water. Once yeast foams, pour liquid into dry ingredients. Using a scarper, incorporate liquid into flour until completely absorbed and a sticky dough forms.
Scrape dough out onto work surface. Knead dough vigorously for 10 minutes: picking it up, slapping it against the work surface, and folding it over itself. After 10 minutes, dough should form a mass and stick less to the work surface. Form dough into a ball and dust all over with flour. Transfer to large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled for 1 hour.
Scrape dough out of bowl without deflating and turn out onto a well-floured work surface. Dust dough with flour. Let rest for 5 minutes. Then divide into 2 to 4 portions. Use for tarte flambée, fougasse, pizza, focaccia, etc.
- Recipe courtesy of Joseph Erdos at Gastronomer's Guide.