Kolaches
Mom often made kolaches when I was a child. They’re so yummy! As a teenager and young adult, I’d sometimes make them myself, but mine always looked like mini volcanoes, with the middle rising high and the filling leaking down the sides. Discouraged, I gave up making them.
Then I learned why my kolaches always erupted. I used grape jelly instead of pie filling! Jelly doesn’t have the weight needed to keep the middle of the roll from rising and it tends to turn to liquid in the heat. Armed with this knowledge, I always meant to try baking them again, but never did.
Until this fall. I’d invited my mother-in-law to come speak at Friendly Club, which is a small group of ladies who get together once a month to socialize and eat dessert. I was hostess that month and knew the ladies would enjoy hearing about Carrol’s recent heritage tour of the Czech Republic.
I usually serve apple crisp when I host, but thought Czech desserts would be more appropriate. And it would give me a chance to again try my hand at kolaches. I couldn’t find my mom’s recipe, so used this one instead.
I thought the addition of lemon zest sounded good. And although the kolaches were fine, I thought they could be better. I knew Carrol had taken a kolache baking class, so asked for her recipe. Once again I made them (this time to sell at our town festival) and loved them! The dough was softer and I preferred not having the lemon flavor. 😊
Kolaches
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook
- Drinking glass with bottom diameter of about 2½ inches
- Cookie sheets
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups milk
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 6¾ tsp active dry yeast or 3 packages active dry yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 7 to 7½ cups all-purpose flour
- cooking spray
- 2 cans your choice of fruit pie filling
Directions
- Heat milk in microwave-safe bowl till scalding. Transfer milk to mixer bowl. Use a dough hook instead of the beater for your mixer.
- Mix in oil and sugar. Beat eggs slightly and add to mixture. Let cool to lukewarm, then mix in yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture is foamy. Mix in the salt.
- Add flour a cup at a time, mixing on low speed. If dough is still very sticky after 7 cups of flour, add the remaining half cup a little at a time.
- Dump dough onto floured rolling mat. Knead, incorporating more flour into the dough until it's smooth and elastic.
- Spray mixer bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in it. Cover with towel or waxed paper.
- Let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour.) Punch down and let rise again. Punch down and briefly knead into ball. (Sprinkle with flour if very sticky.)
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Divide dough and shape into large rolls. Place on greased cookie sheets about 4 inches apart. Dust bottom of drinking glass with flour. Press onto each roll, mashing it down and creating a large indentation in the center.
- Fill each kolache with desired flavor of canned pie filling, such as blueberry, cherry, apple, raspberry, strawberry, mixed berry, peach, lemon, blackberry, strawberry-rhubarb, apricot, prune, poppy seed (or make your own, recipe below). Other fillings include cottage cheese, cream cheese, and streusel (recipes below.)
- Bake at 350° until light golden brown (about 20 minutes.)
Fillings
- When using canned fillings, you may choose to mash the fruit before filling the kolaches.
- Sprinkle struesel topping over the main filling if desired.
Notes
Nutrition analysis for blueberry kolaches:
Poppy Seed Filling
Equipment
- coffee grinder
Ingredients
- 1½ cups poppy seeds
- 1 can evaporated milk 12 oz
- 3 tbl corn syrup
- 2 or 3 tbl butter
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tbl flour (optional)
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- raisins (optional)
Directions
- Grind the poppy seed in a coffee grinder.
- Combine poppy seed and milk in a bowl and let soak for at least one hour. If you soak and cook the seeds long enough, you won't need to use the flour.
- If you are using the flour, mix it with the sugar and stir it into the poppy seed mix. Otherwise just add the sugar.
- Heat in the microwave or on the stove, stirring often. When thickened, add the syrup. Continue to heat it. Add the butter, vanilla, and the raisins if using those.
Notes
Prune Filling
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz package pitted prunes
- water
- sugar to taste
- vanilla extract to taste
Directions
- In a microwave-safe bowl, cover the prunes with water. Cook in microwave until soft.
- Drain the remaining liquid. Beat the prunes with a mixer. Add sugar and vanilla to taste.
Notes
Cottage Cheese Filling
Ingredients
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3 tbl sugar
- 2 tbl flour
- salt
- raisins optional
Directions
- Drain the cottage cheese. Mix in remaining ingredients.
