Drinking glass with bottom diameter of about 2½ inches
Cookie sheets
Ingredients
2¼cupsmilk
½cupcanola oil
½cupgranulated sugar
2largeeggs
6¾tspactive dry yeastor 3 packages active dry yeast
1tspsalt
7 to 7½cupsall-purpose flour
cooking spray
2cansyour choice of fruit pie filling
Instructions
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.