Swabian Parsley Cake

This is not a cake, but a flatbread with a savoury topping. The base is a yeasted bread and the topping is made up of parsley, egg, bacon, heavy cream, sour cream and season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.

The base is a chewy soft bread. I baked in a 9"square baking pan (the recipe uses a 10" pan), as I wanted a thicker bread base.

I like this! Perfect for tea time, especially good when eaten still warm, minutes after baking. Yum!

Swabian Parsley Cake (Peterlingskuchen)
(Classic German Baking by Luisa Weiss)
makes 1 (10-inch) cake
Dough :
1-2/3 cups, scooped and leveled, minus 1 tablespoon/200gm all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading (I use bread flour)
1 teaspoon instant yeast
pinch of granulated sugar
1/2 cup / 120ml water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for the bowl

Topping :
2 tightly packed cups / 80gm flat-leaf parsley, stemmed (about 2 bunches)
2-1/2 ounces / 70gm Speck or slab bacon, finely diced
1/3 cup / 80ml heavy cream
1/3 cup / 80gm sour cream
1 egg
freshly grated nutmeg
salt
freshly ground black pepper

1. To make the dough : Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Put the yeast in the well and add the sugar. Slowly pour in the water, stirring gently with a fork. Keep stirring, adding the salt and oil. As soon as the dough is starting to come together, dump it out on a lightly floured work surface and knead vigorously until the dough is smooth and silky, 4 to 5 minutes. Resist adding too much more flour as you knead; you want the dough to remain as soft as possible. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a clean dishcloth. Place in a warm, draft-free spot and let rise for 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. Line a 10-inch cake pan with a piece of parchment paper, letting the sides hang over the edge to function as a sling after baking.
3. Place the dough in the prepared pan. Gently push the dough down and out to cover the bottom of the pan and make a very slight rim, taking care not to stretch the dough so much as simply spread it out with your fingertips, The dough should be even and slightly dimpled. Cover with the dishcloth and set aside for an additional 30 minutes.\
4. To make the topping : Coarsely chop the parsley and place in a mixing bowl. Add the speck, heavy cream, sour cream, egg and a few gratings of nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Whisk to combine well. Scrape the parsley mixture evenly onto the risen dough.
5. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the top is starting to brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for a few minutes. Using the parchment paper as a sling, remove the cake from the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into wedges and serve hot or warm. The cake is best eaten the day it is made, but you can keep it for 1 day at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap. Warm leftovers in a 350F/180C oven before serving.

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