Apple Kolaches Recipes

KOLACHES I

Steps:

• Pour warm milk over yeast, and let dissolve. Then add sugar, shortening, salt, eggs, egg yolks, and flour. Stir until well combined. Remove dough to a well oiled bowl, and turn once to coat the surface. Cover, and place in a warm spot. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Dish out dough with a tablespoon, and roll into balls. Brush each with shortening, and let rise until doubled in bulk.
• Flatten the balls, and make a depression in the centers. Fill with fruit preserves. Allow to rise.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

APPLE-PECAN KOLACHE RECIPE

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combine 1/4 C flour, 1/4 C milk, the sugar, and the yeast. Let this sit for about 15 minutes to activate the yeast. It should become somewhat bubbly.
• Add the rest of the dough ingredients (the butter, the rest of the milk, the remaining flour, the lemon zest, the egg, and the salt) and mix well. (I did this by hand, which was fine, but you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook.) It should become smooth, but will still be quite sticky. You may even think it needs more flour, but chances are good that it does not.
• Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in a warm corner of your kitchen or, even better, in a proofing box. Some ovens even have a proof setting. Allow the dough to rise until it doubles in size, 1-2 hours.
• To make the topping by simply combining all the topping ingredients in a bowl.
• Peel the apples, core them, and chop them finely. Toss the apples with the cornstarch, sugar, and ground cinnamon.
• Place the mixture in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until the apples become somewhat tender (not mushy) and the starch gels, thickening the mixture.
• Remove the pan from heat and stir in the chopped nuts and vanilla. Cool before using.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C)
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface. Cut the dough into small balls, about the size of a whole walnut, about 1 oz each. Shape them into the shape of a squashed ball-make a ball and flatten it some.
• Place each piece on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about 12 to a sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to proof in the same conditions as the previous fermentation step. Let rise until they poof up somewhat, about 35 minutes.
• Make a deep indent in the center of each dough, about 1″ wide. Fill each well with apple filling (about 1 Tbsp) and top with the streusel crumble.
• Bake the kolaches for 20-25 minutes, checking their internal temperature with a Thermapen at 20 minutes. If the internal temp is 180-190°F (82-88°C), they're done! Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for as long as you can stand it before eating them.
• Serve!

APPLE KOLACHES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour and mix well. Divide dough into 2 portions; cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle., Preheat oven to 400°. In a small bowl, combine apples and cinnamon. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 portion of dough into a 15x9-in. rectangle; cut into fifteen 3-in. squares. Place a teaspoonful of apple mixture in center of each square. Overlap 2 opposite corners of dough over filling; pinch tightly to seal., Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough and apple mixture. Bake 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks. Combine icing ingredients; drizzle over warm kolaches.