How to Make Delicious Homemade Kolaches

KOLACHES (written recipe below)

If you've never had a kolache, you're in for a real treat. Kolaches are enriched yeast rolls topped with a dollop of sweetened cream cheese and/or fruit jam (compote), sprinkled with streusel crumble, and baked to perfection.

Baking experience level: Intermediate, though an enthusiastic beginner could succeed.

Rising time: 2 1/2 hours
Bake time: 20-25 minutes
Ingredient prep time: 40 minutes
Cooling time: 20 minutes

Total time to table: About 4 hours
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RECIPE

Special Kitchen tools that would be nice to have handy: a dough scraper, a kitchen thermometer to measure milk/butter temperature, parchment paper, and a couple of sheet pans.

INGREDIENTS

DOUGH
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast
1 cup whole milk warmed to 100-110°F
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 4 oz. stick), melted and cooled
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing the top of kolaches

EGG WASH
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon whole milk

CREAM CHEESE FILLING
8 ounces cream cheese (1 package), at room temperature
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
The juice from half a lemon.

STREUSEL CRUMBLE TOPPING
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

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DIRECTIONS

1. Make the dough.

• Add to a large mixing bowl, 1 cup whole milk warmed to 100-110°F (30 seconds on high in the microwave and cooled for a few minutes)
• To the milk, add 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (or one 1/4 ounce packet)
• Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar. (I mistakenly say 1/2 a cup in the video.)
• Add 1 cup of all-purpose flour.
• Add 1/2 cup unsalted butter that's been melted and allowed to cool to room temp.
• Add 3 egg yolks.
• Gradually stir in the remaining 2 cups of all-purpose flour.
• Add 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt.
• Turn dough out onto a well-floured counter and knead for 8 minutes -- until it's smooth, slightly tacky. Please watch video (3:22) to see this process. Because this is a sticky dough, a dough scraper is an essential tool.

2. Cover the dough and let it rise 1-1 1/2 hours (until nearly doubled).

3. Portion the dough into 15 dough balls. I use a digital scale to make 60-gram dough balls.
• Use a pastry brush to brush the dough balls with two tablespoons of melted butter (cooled for a few minutes)

Step 4. Cover the dough balls and let them rise for 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 375˚F.

Make the filling/toppings.

• EGG WASH -- in a small bowl, combine 1 whole egg and a tablespoon of butter and whip with a fork until blended.
• CREAM CHEESE FILLING -- in a mixing bowl, combine 8 ounces room-temperature cream cheese, 4 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1 egg yolk, the juice from half a lemon. Stir briskly until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
• STREUSEL CRUMBLE TOPPING -- In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup granulated sugar,
2 1/2 tablespoons melted butter. Stir with a fork to combine. Gradually add 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and mash with the fork until the mixture looks cohesive but granular.

6. Shape, fill, and top.

• SHAPE-- Use your index and middle fingers on each hand to create a well in each dough ball (see video)
• EGG WASH -- use a pastry brush to lightly brush the egg wash around the rim of each kolache
• FILL -- Spoon about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese filling in the well of each dough ball. Do the same for the fruit filling. You may combine fruit and cream cheese.

7. On the middle rack of your oven, bake the tray for 10 minutes at 375˚F, turn oven down to 350˚F and continue baking 10-15 min. You want the kolaches very lightly browned on the top.

8. Cover with another sheet pan or tin foil and let cool 20 minutes before serving. This keeps some of the moisture in the kolaches.

Enjoy!

Tom

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Kolaches were brought to the U.S. from the 'old country' by Czech immigrants. In some parts of Texas (most parts), kolaches are more popular than doughnuts. There are a number of states and towns in the U.S. with a large Czech population; they know kolaches!
In Austin, we lived very close to a bakery specializing in kolaches -- it was hard not to visit too frequently 🙂
One of the most interesting things about kolaches is the soulful bakers who make them. Check these Youtube clips out:

Czech Kolaches are a Prized Texas Tradition
Nicholas Maresh -- a young man from Rosenberg, TX
   • Czech Kolaches are a Prized Texas Tra...  
Old Main Street Bakery

Kolache Queen | Nebraska Stories
Nadine Raceks (She has since passed away.)
   • Meet the Kolache Queen  

Crazy Kolache Lady
Jodi Powers, Calvert, Texas (She has since passed away.)
   • Crazy Kolache Lady  

#kolaches #kolacherecipe #howtomakekolaches