Savory Potato Cake (Czech Bác)

Czech Bac savory potato cake sliced and served on a plate.

Savory Potato Cake (Czech Bác)

Let's try "Bác," a Czech potato cake baked in a rectangular pan and served as a side dish with the main course. It has a wonderful aroma of garlic and ham, and each bite melts in your mouth. Traditional Czech cuisine has never tasted better!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Czech

Keyword Czech specialty, Potato recipes

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings slices

Calories 214kcal

Author Petra Kupská

Equipment

rectangular baking pan 9x12 / 9x13 inches

Ingredients

2 cups milk warm but not hot
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
¼ teaspoon granulated sugar to make yeast starter
2 teaspoons lard (or unsalted butter)
5 medium potatoes such as Yukon golds
3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
3 cloves garlic peeled and pressed
½ Tablespoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
7 ounces smoked ham

Cups - Metric

Instructions

Before you start: Peel 3 cloves garlic and press them.
Make yeast starter: Mix about half a cup of lukewarm milk in a small bowl with ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons active dry yeast. Allow to rise in a warm place until foam forms on the surface.
Cut 7 ounces smoked ham into small cubes and fry it in 2 teaspoons lard in a frying pan over medium heat. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
Peel 5 medium potatoes and shred them finely. I use a hand box grater (not a food processor) for this. Then put the potato shreds in a sieve and squeeze the excess liquid over the sink.
Put the shredded squeezed potatoes, 1 egg, 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, activated yeast starter, the rest of 2 cups milk (lukewarm), fried ham, mashed garlic, ½ Tablespoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper into a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, mix until combined.
Let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for about an hour.
Grease the baking dish with fat (lard or butter). Pour the raised potato mixture into it and smooth the surface.
Preheat the oven to 350 °F and bake the potato cake for 30 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 400 °F. For a delicately crispy crust, brush the cake surface with a tablespoon of melted lard or butter, and bake for another 5–10 minutes until the cake turns golden.

Notes

Makes about 16 slices.
SERVING: Old World Bohemians commonly served this savory cake warm and sliced as a tasty side dish to the main course, often accompanied by sauces. The more add-ins, like crackling, ham, garlic, or marjoram, the more likely it is to be enjoyed as a standalone dish.
In some villages around Domažlice, a small town in west Bohemia, people sprinkled the cake's surface with poppy seeds before baking it. If you like poppy seeds, give this method a try!

Nutrition