The dough recipe here makes enough for 2 Flamiche. You can double the yeast and omit the ferment if you like, or with a bit of forward planning, you can make the ferment and emulate the great Richard Bertinet himself!
Flamiche Aux Poireaux and Fougasse
1. For the dough;
-For the white dough, pop the water into a mixing bowl fitted with the dough hook attachment and add the ferment, fresh yeast, flour and salt and mix on low speed for 4-5 minutes.
-Once everything is well incorporated, turn the mixer up a speed and continue to mix for a further 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
Transfer the dough to a bowl and cover with a clean cloth. Leave to rest for at least 20 minutes.
2. For the flamiche;
-For the Flamiche, pop the butter and oil into a pan and sweat the sliced onions for a few minutes until starting to brown. Add the leeks and continue to cook until the leeks are softened.
-In a separate bowl mix together the creme fraiche, egg, nutmeg and season well before adding the leek and onion mix to the bowl. Set to one side.
-Turn the rested dough onto a lightly floured surface and split in half. Open one half of the dough into a pizza type circle before topping with half the mixture and grating over half the cheese.
-Transfer the Flamiche to a floured peel before sliding it into your wood fired oven. The oven should have a small bed of embers with no active flame and be running around 220 degrees.
-Bake for around 6 minutes and serve!
To make the sourdough starter;
Stage 1 – Mix all the ingredients together in a large plastic container, cover with a freezer bag large enough to cover the entire container, and leave in a warm place for 24-36 hours without disturbing it. The mixture will start to smell a little lactic, darken in colour and bubbles will begin to form- these are signs that fermentation is underway and you are ready for stage 2.
Stage 2 – Add the flour and water to your ferment, mix well, cover as before and leave in a warm place for a further 24-36 hours. At the end of this stage the mixture will have expanded a little and be starting to smell sweet and lightly fermented. That means you’re ready for stage 3.
Stage 3 – Add the flour and water to your ferment, mix well, cover as before and leave in a warm place for a further 24-36 hours. By the end of this stage, you should have a total of 800g of ferment. Use 300g to make the Flamiche and keep the rest in the fridge to make another batch of bread.