AI-generated image
Zelňák
Zelňák: Moravian flat yeast pie topped with caraway sauerkraut, golden onion and sour cream
CzechOut in the Moravian wine villages, when bread was baked in the communal oven, the last of the dough went into zelňák: a flat yeast base spread with sour cabbage and fried onion and baked until the edges blister. It is still sold in bakeries around Brno and Hodonín and eaten warm in slices with a glass of buttermilk or new wine. Old recipes fry the onion in lard or add crackling; this version uses oil and butter and is vegetarian. The topping is tangy, sweet from the onion and scented with caraway, over a soft, bready base. Where it often goes wrong is using wet sauerkraut straight from the jar, which turns the base soggy. Squeeze it well and fry it first. Chef's tip: a thin layer of sour cream under the cabbage keeps the base moist and stops the topping drying out.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 14 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup lukewarm milk
- 3 tbsp sunflower oilplus extra for the tray
For the topping
- 1 ⅓ lb sauerkrautdrained and squeezed
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- ⅔ oz butter
- 2 onionsthinly sliced
- 1 ½ tsp caraway seeds
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 5 ½ oz sour cream
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz plain flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt, then add 1 cup lukewarm milk and 3 tbsp sunflower oil and knead for 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover and leave somewhere warm for 60 minutes, until doubled.
68 minStep 2: Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp sunflower oil and ⅔ oz butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry 2 onions for 10 minutes, until soft and golden.
10 minStep 3: Chop 1 ⅓ lb sauerkraut roughly, add it to the onions with 1 ½ tsp caraway seeds, 1 tsp sugar and ½ tsp black pepper, and fry for 10 minutes, stirring, until it is dry and just starting to colour. Leave to cool.
10 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan) and oil a 30 x 40 cm baking tray. Press and roll the dough into the tray, about 5 mm thick, pushing it into the corners.
5 minStep 5: Spread 5 ½ oz sour cream thinly over the dough, then the sauerkraut and onion, leaving a 1 cm border. Leave to rise for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 6: Bake on the middle shelf for 25–30 minutes, until the edges are deep golden, the base sounds hollow when tapped and the tips of the cabbage are browned.
30 minStep 7: Cool for 10 minutes on the tray, then cut into squares. Eat warm or at room temperature.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does zelňák take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 90 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Reform torta
Belgrade pastry shops have sold reform torta since the early twentieth century, and it is still the cake Serbian families bring out for birthdays, weddings and the slava. Three thin layers of walnut meringue, crisp at the edge and chewy inside, are stacked with a dense chocolate butter cream made with egg yolks cooked over steam until thick. It is very rich, so cut thin slices and serve with strong coffee. The usual slip is beating the butter into a chocolate mixture that is still warm, which melts it and splits the cream; let it cool to room temperature first. Chef's tip: assemble the cake the day before; overnight in the fridge the meringue softens a little and the cake slices cleanly with a hot knife.
Ma'amoul
Ma'amoul are delicate shortbread-like pastries made for Eid and Easter across the Middle East. A soft, rose-scented butter dough is wrapped around a filling of dates, walnuts, almonds and pistachios cooked with cinnamon, marked with a fork, baked pale and dusted with icing sugar. Makes 35; they keep well in a tin.
Banana and cashew slice
A soft, moist low-calorie slice made without flour, eggs or refined sugar: ripe bananas are blended with sunflower oil, vanilla and cardamom, then cashews, desiccated coconut, oats and grated apple. Baked and cut into wedges, it is naturally sweet and good with tea or in a lunch box.
Indian