Let's make Koblihy, the fluffy Czech donuts filled with jam! They are incredibly delicious and always disappear in no time.
➜ What are Koblihy
Koblihy (plural) or Kobliha (singular) is a deep-fried Czech pastry filled with strawberry or apricot jam. Before serving, the donuts are dusted with icing sugar.
In the past, Koblihy were associated with a winter carnival season (in Czech, Masopust or Fašank). They are now available at every good Czech bakery.
Making homemade Koblihy from scratch is easier than you think. These are made with yeast dough, so you need to plan ahead. You are done in two hours, but don't worry, most of that is rising time.
MY TIP: Try also double-filled Moravian kolaches (another Czech yummy specialty!)
➜ Ingredients
For Czech koblihy, you will need:
- All-purpose flour; read my article about Czech types of flour
- Active dry yeast
- Milk; lukewarm
- Unsalted butter; softened at room temperature
- Yolks; warmed to room temperature. Leave the yolks in a glass jar covered with foil on the kitchen counter at least an hour ahead of time. If you forget, it helps put the whole eggs in warm to hot water for about 5-10 minutes to warm them.
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Lemon zest; freshly grated
- Spiced rum; the purpose of this alcohol in the recipe is twofold: firstly, it makes the dough puffier. And secondly, when frying the koblihy donuts, they do not absorb as much fat.
Next, take to your hand:
- Oil for frying; you will need about a quart (1 liter) of oil. Sunflower or Canola oil works well. If interested, read about the best oil to fry donuts.
- Jam; for filling koblihy. Strawberry or apricot tastes the most delicious.
- Icing sugar; for the final dusting on the koblihy donuts.
✅ You will find the exact ingredient amounts in the recipe card below, which you can also print out.
➜ Instructions with photos
STEP 1: Stir a teaspoon of sugar in a few tablespoons of lukewarm milk and add the yeast. Leave it to rise in a warm place. Within about 15 minutes, bubbles should appear on the surface, indicating that the starter is ready to use.
STEP 2: Meanwhile, cream the egg yolks with the sugar and softened butter in a bowl. Use an electric mixer.
STEP 3: Add the remaining ingredients to the yolk mixture: flour, the rest of the lukewarm milk, lemon zest, salt, and rum. Work thoroughly into a smooth elastic yeast dough. If too sticky, dust the dough with a spoonful of flour and work it in.
STEP 4: Cover the koblihy dough with a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
⤍ Learn how to make dough rise in the oven.
STEP 5: Roll out the dough on a floured worktop to a thickness of about ½ inch (1 cm). Cut out 2-2. ½ inches (5-7 cm) diameter rounds using a small glass or donut cutter.
Work the remaining dough again (you should not need much flour), roll it out, and cut the rounds again.
Leave the rounds in a warm place to rise for a further 30 minutes.
STEP 6: Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat, but not too high. Put enough oil; the doughnuts must not touch the bottom. I used about a quart (1 liter) of sunflower oil for a 10-inches (24 cm) pan.
STEP 7: Place the risen koblihy top side down in the hot fat so that they swim in it and do not touch each other. If the oil is heated just right, the donuts will rise beautifully.
STEP 8: Fry on one side for a minute and a half, then flip and fry for another minute and a half on the second side. Remove with a metal (not plastic!) slotted spoon or colander and let the excess fat soak in on a plate lined with paper towels.
STEP 9: Fill the still warm donuts with a filling injector or a decorating bag with a simple tip. Stir the jam smooth beforehand, or heat it warm with a spoonful of rum so that you can push it through the tip without any hurdle.
STEP 10: Dust the filled koblihy with icing sugar and serve.
➜ Storage
Donuts taste best fresh, the same day you fry them. They will keep for about two days at room temperature or five days in the fridge. If you have any leftovers, it's best to cover them with a glass or plastic lid to prevent them from drying out.
➜ Useful tips
- When frying, try one donut first to make sure the oil is heated correctly. If it starts to brown too soon, the temperature is too high. If the donut sinks to the bottom, the oil is not hot enough.
- Fry the koblihy for a minute and a half on each side. Cut the first sample donut open to ensure no raw dough is left inside.
- The donuts' surface gets wet overnight, and the sugar dust disappears – the donuts absorb it. In the following days, koblihy will not be as airy and pillowy, and they will get stiffer over time.
More Czech sweet recipes:
- Kolache
- Šišky with fried breadcrumbs
- Plum dumplings – with poppy seeds
Tried this recipe?
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Koblihy – Czech jam-filled donuts
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
Koblihy yeast dough:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- ⅓ stick unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- 4 egg yolks at room temperature
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¾ cup milk lukewarm
- 2 Tablespoons spiced rum e. g. Kirkland from Costco or Austriah Stroh 40
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest freshly grated
- ½ teaspoon salt
Misc.:
- ⅔ cup jam strawberry or apricot
- 4 cups canola (or sunflower oil)
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar for sprinkling on fried Koblihy
Instructions
- Stir a teaspoon of sugar in a few tablespoons of lukewarm milk and add 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast. Leave it to rise in the warmth. Within about 15 minutes, bubbles should appear on the surface, indicating that the starter is ready to use.
- Meanwhile, cream 4 egg yolks with 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar and 1/3 stick unsalted butter, softened, in a bowl. Use an electric mixer with whisk or paddle attachement.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the creamed egg mixture: 3 cups all-purpose flour, the rest of 3/4 cup milk, lukewarm, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 Tablespoons spiced rum. Knead thoroughly to form a smooth, elastic yeast dough. If the dough is too sticky, dust it with a spoonful of flour and work it in.
- Cover the koblihy dough with a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
- Roll out the dough on a floured work surface to a thickness of about ½ inch (1 cm). Using a small glass or donut cutter, cut out rounds with a diameter of 2 to 2.5 inches (5 to 7 cm). Gather the remaining dough, knead it lightly (using minimal extra flour if needed), roll it out again, and cut more rounds.
- Allow the cut-outs to rise in a warm place for an additional 30 minutes.
- Heat the frying oil in a wide saucepan over medium heat, ensuring the temperature is not too high. Add enough oil so that the Koblihy donuts do not touch the bottom of the pan. I use approximately 4 cups canola for a 10-inch (20 cm) wide pan.
- Place the risen Koblihy top side down into the hot oil, ensuring they float and do not touch each other. When the oil is properly heated, the donuts will rise beautifully.
- Fry the Koblihy on one side for one and half minutes, then flip and fry for another one and half minutes on the other side. Use a metal (not plastic!) slotted spoon or colander to remove them from the oil. Let the excess oil drain by placing the Koblihy on a plate lined with paper towels.
- While the Koblihy are still warm, use a filling injector or a decorating bag with a thin, plain tip to fill them. Make sure to stir 2/3 cup jam until smooth beforehand, or warm it with a spoonful of rum to ensure it flows easily through the tip.
- Dust the filled koblihy with 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar and serve.
Notes
- The basic recipe makes about 16 pieces of Koblihy.
- When frying, test one donut first to make sure the oil is at the correct temperature. If the donut starts to brown too quickly, the oil is too hot. If it sinks to the bottom, the oil is not hot enough.
- Fry the koblihy for a minute and a half on each side. Cut the first sample donut open to ensure no raw dough is left inside.
- STORAGE: Koblihy will stay fresh for about two days at room temperature or up to five days in the refrigerator. If you have any leftovers, cover them with a glass or plastic lid to prevent them from drying out.
Lucie
When do I mix the yeast starter to the rest of the dough please?
pauilina
the author forgot to put that... its in step 3
paulina
please correct the recipe to clarify when to add yeast
julie
So happy to find this! My Grandma made these for us, it was our favorite pastry. One minor variation, she filled them before frying, using poppyseed or apricot filling, along with a special one in each batch that had a cotton ball, to the great delight of the kids pranking one of the adults into eating it.
Thank you!