Stuttgarter Zwiebelkuchen |Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen | Authentic Savoury Onion Tart
Not all cakes are sweet. Some are savoury yet taste oh so delicious! The one I have for you today belongs to the latter. Although its name suggests it is a cake, technically it is more of a tart. Nevertheless, the Zwiebelkuchen is one of the stars of the season in Germany. As summer gently transitions into autumn; across Germany be it the vineyards or the wine stores, the supermarkets or the farmer’s markets – one can see handwritten signs go up signaling the arrival of the season’s first white wine, the Federweißer (Federweisser) – the other star of the season!
We shall read more about this wine a bit later in this post but for now let us concentrate on the Federweißer’s natural partner – the Zwiebelkuchen. The name is derived from the German words Zwiebel (onion) and Kuchen (cake). To describe it in brief, it is a yeasted bread topped with a sautéed onion based topping and few other key ingredients (more on these later).
There are different variations of the Onion Tart and the one I have for you today is from one of my favourite cities in Germany – my first home in this lovely country – the beautiful city of Stuttgart near the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) region of Germany. Automobile enthusiasts like me also know it as the home of Mercedes Benz and Porsche. But, along with Stuttgart, the region of Swabia too stakes claim to this onion tart. The Schwäbisch region is to the south-east of Stuttgart, nestled right in between Stuttgart and my present home Munich. So, call it the Stuttgarter Zwiebelkuchen or Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen, either ways it tastes delicious.
The basic ingredients for the topping viz. onions, bacon, caraway seeds and eggs are common across the different variants. Some prefer to bake them flat and bready and dairy free, the most typical variant viz the Stuttgarter Zwiebelkuchen is a round quiche like tart and uses sour cream in the topping along with the other ingredients.
How to make Zwiebelkuchen
There are two main components to the Zwiebelkuchen – the yeasted bread and the sautéed Onion based topping. To begin with since it is a yeasted bread – bloom the yeast! Take some active dry yeast and mix it in lukewarm water and let it sit till the liquid turns frothy. Notice that I’m not adding any sugar to activate the yeast. The yeast needs no added sugar. The lukewarm water activates it and the natural sugars in the flour are enough to let it grow. Meanwhile take the required amount of flour in a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the yeast solution in the well and mix with a fork to form a pre-dough.
Switch to a handheld mixer and on low speed start mixing while adding water to the flour little by little. Add salt, followed by some oil and continue to mix until all the ingredients come together into a lumpy but well mixed dough with no traces of raw flour. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead vigorously for about 5 mins until the dough turns smooth and silky. Transfer the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Place it in a warm-dry place for proofing for about an hour.
Once the dough has doubled in size, line a 10 inch (25cm) cake tin with parchment paper. Place the risen dough in the pan and gently push it down and out to cover the base of the pan and form a rim of about ¼inch. Take care to gently spread the dough evenly with your fingertips and not stretch it. Cover it with a kitchen towel and set aside to proof for another 30 mins.
During this time, preheat the oven and begin preparing the topping. Slice the onions into rings and set aside. Heat some oil in a medium sized pan and add diced bacon and render for a few minutes. Add the onion rings and stew them until they turn translucent. Follow this with the caraway seeds and season with freshly cracked black pepper and mix well. Once the onions start taking some colour, take the pan off the heat and let it cool for sometime.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and sour-cream and transfer this mixture to the onions in the pan and cook on low heat, stirring continuously for a couple of minutes until the mixture slightly thickens. Spread this onion mixture evenly on top of the dough. Place the baking pan in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 40 min. At the end of the baking time, transfer the pan onto a cooling rack for a few minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cut into wedges and serve warm with a green salad, making it a whole meal or have it just like that as a hearty appetizer paired with its perfect companion – the Federweißer!
Federweißer – the perfect match to the Stuttgarter Zwiebelkuchen
Although this time of the year in Germany is better known as the Oktoberfest season, in the wine growing regions of the country it is also known as the season of the Federweißer (Fey-Daar-Wai-Sar) The word is derived from the German word Feder (feather) and Weiß (white), from the appearance of the suspended yeast in the wine. It is basically a mildly alcoholic grape juice or a teenage wine (as it is still fermenting and growing). It is also known as Neuer Wine (new wine) as it is still fermenting.
So this is grape juice which has just started fermenting. During fermentation sugar slowly converts into alcohol and since we are at the start of the process, the Federweißer is high on sugar and low on alcohol content. It needs to have a minimum alcohol content of 4% to be deemed fit to sell. The fermentation continues until all the sugar has been broken down and the alcohol content can reach upto that of regular wine by the end of the fermentation process. Also, this is an unfiltered wine and hence will always be cloudy and as days go by one can see sediments depositing at the bottom of the bottle.
Since it is still fermenting in the bottle, and alcohol content is constantly changing, the probable upper limit of the alcohol content is mentioned in the bottle. It is refreshingly sweet, bubbly and mildly acidic. For the Mangalorean in me, it reminded me of freshly tapped Toddy (Palm wine). In fact, if toddy were to be grape flavoured, it would probably be just like the Federweißer! The red wine version is known as the Federroter and is less common. These wines don’t have a long shelf life and need to be consumed in a few days of purchase.
Also, as the fermentation is ongoing they cannot be stored in airtight bottles and must be placed upright allowing gases to escape and to avoid spilling (I learnt it the hard way during my first experience with this wine and came home with just half a bottle of wine!) And I’m mentioning this wine here because it is the perfect culinary accompaniment to the Zwiebelkuchen. The sweet juice like wine combines very well with the savoury Zwiebelkuchen.
Variations of the Zwiebelkuchen
Well, I did say they are slightly different variants of the Zwiebelkuchen while keeping most of the ingredients. However, you can modify it to suit your dietary requirements. If you wan to make it dairy-free, leave out the sour cream. If you want it meat-free, you can leave out the bacon. Also, want to make it healthier, swap the All purpose Flour with Whole Wheat Flour (may end up being a bit denser). Also, if you have noticed, this is a sugar free cake. The sweetness derived from stewing/ sautéing the onions is adequate enough.
So don’t let your dietary requirements hold you back from enjoying this seasonal delightful German pairing of Zwiebelkuchen and Federweißer. And talking of German delights, have you tried my Sunken Apple Cake?
Zwiebelkuchen
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Fork
- Whisk
- Hand-held mixer
- 10" Cake tin
- Parchment paper
- Medium-size Pan
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1 tsp Active dry yeast
- 120 ml Water, divided (lukewarm)
- 200 gms All Purpose Flour (plus more for kneading)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 30 ml Vegetable Oil (plus more for greasing)
For the Topping:
- 5 pc Onions, Medium-sized, thinly sliced into rings
- 70 ml Vegetable Oil
- 70 gm Slab Bacon, diced
- 1 tsp Carraway seeds
- 1 tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground
- 1 tbsp All Purpose Flour
- 180 ml Sour Cream
- 2 pc Eggs, small
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
Making the Dough:
- To begin with, add the active dry yeast to about 50ml of lukewarm water and allow it to bloom for minimum 15 mins
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour in along with salt and make a well in the middle
- Add the bloomed yeast solution into the well and gently stir with a fork to make a pre dough.
- Keep adding the remaining water and also the oil, little by little and stir gently until it all combines together into a lumpy but well mixed dough with no traces of raw flour
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead vigorously for about 5 mins until the dough turns smooth and silky
- Transfer the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Place it in a warm-dry place for proofing for about an hour
Layering the Dough in the Pan:
- Line a 10 inch (25cm) cake tin with parchment paper
- Place the risen dough in the pan and gently push it down and out to cover the base of the pan and form a rim of about ¼inch. Take care to gently spread the dough evenly with your fingertips and not stretch it.
- Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside to proof for another 30 mins
Preparing the Topping:
- Before you begin preparing the topping, preheat the oven to 200°C
- Heat the oil in a medium sized pan and add the diced bacon and render for a few minutes
- Add the onion rings and stew them until they turn translucent
- Add the caraway seeds and season with freshly cracked black pepper and mix well
- Once the onions start taking some colour, take the pan off the heat and let it cool for sometime
- In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and sour-cream
- Transfer this mixture to the onions in the pan and cook on low heat, stirring continuously for a couple of minutes until the mixture slightly thickens
- Spread the onion mixture evenly on top of the dough
Baking the Cake:
- Place the baking pan in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 40 min (half-way through the baking time, cover the cake with aluminium foil if the onions appear to be browning too quickly)
- At the end of the baking time, transfer the pan onto a cooling rack for a few minutes
- Remove the cake from the pan and cut into wedges and serve warm with a glass of Federweißer
Notes
- Skip the sour cream for a dairy-free version
- Skip the bacon for a meat-free version
- To make it healthier, swap all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour
- The Zwiebelkuchen stays well for 2-3 days when refrigerated wrapped in cling film
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