Potato Bacon Rétes at the Bakehouse
Flaky, filled Hungarian pastry for breakfast, lunch, or dinner
The Russian theme I mentioned above is one terrific option for a winter wedding. You could also consider a winter wedding themed around the beauty of Budapest and traditional Hungarian culture. In which case, you should definitely consider including the Bakehouse’s flaky, beautiful, delicious, hand-rolled rétes! When I think of winter eating here in the ZCoB, Potato Bacon Rétes comes most quickly to mind! I love it!
Rétes is the Hungarian word for what many of us in the Western world know as strudel. Rétes comes from the Hungarian word réteges, meaning “layered.” Potatoes, like paprika, are not native to Hungary. They came from the Western Hemisphere as part of the colonial excursion that came to be known as the Columbian Exchange, at the end of the 15th century and into the 16th century. Potatoes became important in Hungarian cooking only when the government ordered people to grow them after famine led to widespread hunger from 1770 to 1772.
Our rétes are made with Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon; the sweet smokiness of the bacon offsets the creamy texture of the pretty much perfectly cooked potatoes and the flakiness of the delicious pastry that the Bakehouse staff stretches incredibly thin. Amy says of the strudel-making process: “The dough is one of those wonders of the baking world that is rewarding to make. It’s like a magic trick!”
The Potato Bacon Rétes is terrific for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It’s easy to bring to work for lunch, or you can even eat in the car while you’re driving. Tammie and I enjoy it at our house for dinner once a week or so, usually accompanied by soft scrambled eggs. When she first moved here from San Francisco 15 years ago, she told me that “the rétes are like God’s gift to the Bakehouse!”
You can get the rétes every day—while supplies last—at the Bakeshop on Plaza Drive and at the Deli downtown. FYI, if you’re feeding a family, you can also buy a whole, unbaked frozen “log” of them to finish off at your house. I guarantee your whole home will be filled with wonderful aromas, and in about 50 minutes, you’ll have a marvelous meal! Either way, Potato Bacon Rétes will make your entrée into 2026 all the more flavorful!
Reserve a rétes
P.S. If you want to make these marvelous rétes at home, you can find the recipe in the Zingerman’s Bakehouse cookbook (it’s on page 237). Or, if you want a hands-on lesson in the craft of making rétes, check out the classes at BAKE!
