Czechoslovakian Kolache Recipes

CZECH KOLACHE

Steps:

• Pour yeast into 1/2 cup of lukewarm water. Set aside to soak.
• In a separate bowl mix together 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt. Add 1/2 cup melted shortening and 2 cups sifted flour. Beat well. Add in 2 beaten eggs and yeast mixture and mix well. Set aside to rest until bubbly and spongy.
• Add 3 1/2 cups of flour and blend well. Set aside to rise for 1 hour. Punch down and let rise again for 1 hour.
• To Make Filling: Beat together 2 egg yolks, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons flour and 1 cup of raisins. Add cottage cheese and mix well.
• Pinch off 1 inch balls from dough and press an indentation in the center of each. Put filling in. Let rise 15 minutes, then bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) until golden - 12-18 minutes.

CZECHOSLOVAKIAN KOLACHE

Steps:

• 1. Warm 1 cup cream or milk in a pyrex measuring cup in the microwave for 40 seconds to where it is not too warm to touch and add 1 package active dry yeast and 6 tablespoons sugar and half cup canola oil or butter.
• 2. In a large mixing bowl add 4 cups unbleached wheat pastry flour, 6 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 large eggs, the mixture of 1 cup warm cream, half cup canola oil, & package of active dry yeast. Mix together and knead into dough ball. Let rise for 3 hours.
• 3. Make fruit filling or poppy seed filling by adding 1 cup fruit, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, & 1 teaspoon pure vanilla to double boiler.
• 4. For cream cheese filling; add 1 package cream cheese, honey or light agave nectar, & 1 teaspoon of vanilla, & blend in pyrex high speed blender until smooth.
• 5. Make egg wash by beating 1 large egg & 1 teaspoon of water and add to dough ball after letting rise 3 hours and knead into dough ball.
• 6. Cut parchment paper to fit aluminum baking pan or sheet. Make kolache by making 12 rolls of dough with indentation in the middle. Add a teaspoon full of filling to center of each roll.
• 7. Make egg wash by beating 1 egg with 1 teaspoon water and cover the filled rolls with egg with your fingers.
• 8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake 20-25 minutes until the rolls are golden brown.
• 9. If there is egg left over; make an omelet by microwaving on 50% power for 1 minute 15 seconds in shallow dish.

CZECH KOLACHE RECIPE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, heat the milk until lukewarm. Pour the dry yeast and a teaspoon of sugar into the milk. The sugar will encourage the yeast to activate. Stir everything with a spoon and leave it in a warm place for about 10-15 minutes until foam forms on the surface.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter, which should be semi-liquid but not hot. Around 30 seconds in a microwave are ideal.
• Add the flour, sugar, salt into a mixing bowl. Add an egg, vanilla, melted butter, and activated yeast with milk.
• Begin with the dough. Roughly combine all ingredients in a bowl with a fork. Turn the mixture out onto a floured work surface and use your hands to work it into a smooth elastic dough. If the dough is too sticky, dust it with a tablespoon of flour and continue kneading. Repeat until the dough is no longer sticky.
• Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for 40 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide it into equal parts. If you have a kitchen scale and want kolache the same size, weigh each piece on the scale. The weight of a piece of dough for one pie is around 1 and ½ oz (45 g).
• Shape each piece of dough into a ball. Place it on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Leave enough space between the balls so that the cakes don't touch and bake into a square later. The classic Czech kolach is round!
• Let the dough balls rise in a warm place for another 40 minutes. Cover the dough with a clean tea towel if you leave the dough to rise on the kitchen counter.
• Time to shape kolache! We need to create a beautiful round kolach and create a depression in the center for the filling placement. Take a round-bottomed vessel about 3 inches in diameter, such a glass. I used a ½ measuring cup. Wrap the bottom with a clean dish towel so that there are no creases. Press the wrapped vessel evenly into the dough with light pressure from above. The kolach is stretched out wide and round, and an indentation is made in the middle for the filling.
• In a shallow bowl, beat an egg using a fork and create an egg wash. Brush it over the edges of the kolache pastries.
• Now, place the filling in the middle of each kolach. Just about 1 to 1.½ tablespoons per kolach are enough. If you like, sprinkle the cakes with streusel topping.
• Let's bake kolache! Preheat the oven to 340 °F (170 °C). Place the sheet with kolache in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are golden brown.

SWEET KOLACHE RECIPE

Steps:

• Prepare Fillings and topping desired and set aside until ready to use.
• For Posypka Topping mix all ingredients together until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• For Poppyseed Filling Combine poppyseeds, sugar and milk, and cook over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken.
• Add butter, then flour which has been dissolved in a little bit of water.
• Cook, stirring constantly until poppyseed is done, at least 30 minutes.
• Allow to cool before use.
• Leftover filling can be frozen.
• For Cabbage Filling Fry the cabbage in the butter until soft.
• Add the salt, black pepper, sugar and flour, and fry until golden brown, being careful not to burn.
• For Prune Filling Place the prunes in a bowl and cover them completely with boiling water.
• Let them sit overnight (or at least 6 hours) to rehydrate.
• Drain the liquid off and mash prunes thoroughly with a fork or run them through a food processor.
• Add the cinnamon, sugar, and lemon zest.
• Mix thoroughly.
• Fills 24 kolaches.
• For Apricot Filling Cook a 10 ounce package of dried apricots slowly in enough water to cover until fruit is soft and water is cooked out.
• Do not cover or fruit turns dark.
• Add 1 1/2 cups sugar or more to taste and mash with a potato masher until well blended.
• Filling for about 2 dozen kolaches.
• For Cottage Cheese Filling Mix all ingredients together until blended.
• If cheese is too moist, add very finely rolled crackers, about 10 or 12 to absorb liquid.
• If using country-style cottage cheese, cream cheese can be omitted or used for added flavor, according to taste.
• If using cottage cheese as a filling, be sure to enclose cheese in the dough.
• Spread dough balls out, place cheese in the middle and pinch all sides together to seal completely.
• Place sealed side down on the greased pan and butter the pastry.
• Let rise until light, sprinkle with topping and bake.
• For cream Cheese Filling Soften the cream cheese.
• Beat remaining ingredients together with cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl.
• Filling for about 2 dozen kolaches.
• To Make Dough And assemble Kolaches Dissolve yeast in the 1/2 cup warm water in a tall glass, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar and set aside to proof.
• In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter, add egg yolks and salt and mix well.
• Add the dissolved yeast, 1 cup of the flour and mix slowly with an electric mixer.
• Add the milk and continue adding as much of the remaining flour as you can mix in with a wooden spoon.
• Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough.
• Continue kneading until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
• Place dough in a greased bowl, turn once to grease surface.
• Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch dough down and turn out onto lightly floured surface.
• Pinch off egg size portions and roll into a ball using the palm of your hands in circular motion.
• Place about 1 inch apart on greased pans.
• Brush kolaches with melted butter, cover with a cloth and let rise until light, about 1 hour.
• Use your fingers to make an indentation in each ball and fill each opening with about 1 tablespoon of filling.
• Sprinkle with posypka topping (optional) and let rise again for 20 minutes.
• Bake in a preheated 425ºF oven for about 10-15 minutes.
• Brush kolaches with melted butter as they come out of the oven.

AUTHENTIC CZECH HOMEMADE KOLACHE RECIPE

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast and 1 tsp sugar into lukewarm water.
• Into a microwave safe bowl, put the milk and butter. Microwave just until butter melts. Let cool slightly to 110°F (so it doesn't kill the yeast).
• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour with salt, sugar, and potato flakes. Add in yeast mixture, warmed milk and butter. Stir to combine. Add the egg and blend into dough.
• Knead in remaining flour until dough comes together and it is slightly sticky.
• Let dough raise for an hour and a half or until doubled.
• Once raised, form dough into 12 balls. Place each dough ball onto a parchment lined baking sheet, cover, and let raise another hour.
• In a mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla.
• Once dough balls have risen for an hour. Use the back of a spoon and make an indentation into the ball.
• Then fill each indentation with cream cheese mixture.
• Bake kolaches at 425°F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

HOMEMADE KOLACHE RECIPE

Steps:

• Add the yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, and ginger to 1/4 cup warm milk and set aside.
• Put the remaining milk and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until the butter melts.
• Let cool to 110F. It should feel comfortably warm to when you drop a few drops on your wrist.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment combine 2 cups of the flour with the salt, sugar, and potato flakes.
• Add the yeast mixture and the cooled milk mixture and stir until blended.
• Add the egg and blend it in.
• Add another 1/3 cup of flour. The dough will be sticky.
• Switch to the dough hook.
• Add flour a tablespoon or two at a time until the dough doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl.
• Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. It will still be a little sticky especially on the bottom.
• Remove from the mixer bowl and form into a ball.
• Rub the ball with melted butter then place it in a greased bowl.
• Turn the ball over once.
• Cover the bowl loosely with a clean tea towel.
• Let it rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.
• Punch dough down.
• Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces
• Roll into balls and arrange them 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
• Brush with butter, cover loosely with tea towels or plastic wrap, and let rise for 1 hour.
• Make indentations in the buns and fill with cheese mixture or fruit filling.
• Sprinkle with crumb mixture.
• Bake at 425F for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Watch carefully.

KOLACHE DOUGH

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 1¼ cups (156 grams) flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and nutmeg at medium-low speed until well combined.
• In a medium saucepan, heat milk, butter, and ¼ cup (60 grams) water over medium heat until an instant-read thermometer registers 120°F (49°C) to 130°F (54°C). Add warm milk mixture to flour mixture; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs; beat at medium-high speed for 2 minutes. With mixer on low speed, gradually add 2¾ cups (344 grams) flour, beating just until combined and stopping to scrape sides of bowl.
• Switch to the dough hook attachment. Beat at medium speed until a soft, somewhat sticky dough forms, 6 to 8 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl and dough hook; add remaining ¼ cup (31 grams) flour, 1 tablespoon (8 grams) at a time, if necessary. (Dough should pass the windowpane test [see Note] but may still stick slightly to sides of bowl.) 4. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until doubled in size, 40 minutes to 1 hour.