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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Koblihy – Czech Jam-filled Donuts

    Published: Feb 19, 2022 · Modified: Feb 26, 2023 by Petra Kupská

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    Let's make koblihy, fluffy Czech donuts filled with jam! These are absolutely delicious and always disappear fast.

    Czech koblihy dusted with icing sugar and filled with jam.
    Table of Contents hide
    ➜ What are koblihy
    ➜ Ingredients
    ➜ Instructions with photos
    ➜ Storage
    ➜ Useful tips
    Koblihy – Czech jam-filled donuts

    ➜ 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 the carnival season (in Czech masopust or fašank), taking place in winter. They are now available in 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're 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

    Czech koblihy donuts ingredients with caption.

    For Czech koblihy, you will need:

    • All-purpose 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 rapeseed 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’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, 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.

    Rising yeast before and after.

    STEP 2: Meanwhile, cream the egg yolks with the sugar and softened butter in a bowl. Use an electric mixer.

    Yolks creamed with sugar and butter.

    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.

    Rising the yeast dough.

    ⤍ 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.

    Cutting rounds from yeasted dough.

    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.

    Frying koblihy doughnuts.

    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.

    Filling koblihy donuts with filling injector.

    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.

    Koblihy dusted with icing sugar, served on a platter.

    ➜ 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?

    Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Follow me on Facebook and Pinterest. Subscribe to my newsletter. Send me any question about Czech cuisine to my e-mail. I love hearing your feedback!

    Czech koblihy recipe.

    Koblihy – Czech jam-filled donuts

    Let's make koblihy, fluffy Czech donuts filled with jam! These are absolutely delicious and always disappear fast.
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 3 minutes
    Rising time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 38 minutes
    Servings: 16 pieces
    Calories: 306kcal
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Sweet Pastry
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: Fried pastry

    Ingredients

    Koblihy yeast dough:

    • 3 cups all-purpose flour (390 g)
    • 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
    • ⅓ stick unsalted butter (40 g) softened at room temperature
    • 4 egg yolks at room temperature
    • 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (7 g)
    • ⅘ cup milk (190 ml) lukewarm
    • 2 Tablespoons spiced rum
    • 1 teaspoon lemon zest freshly grated
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    Misc.:

    • ⅔ cup jam (210 g) strawberry or apricot
    • 4 cups vegetable oil sunflower or canola
    • 2 Tablespoons icing sugar for dusting koblihy

    Instructions

    • Stir a teaspoon of sugar in a few tablespoons of lukewarm milk and add the 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 the egg yolks with the sugar and softened butter in a bowl. Use an electric mixer.
    • Add the remaining ingredients to the beaten egg 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.
    • 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 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.
    • Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat, but not too high. Put enough oil; the donuts must not touch the bottom. I used about 4 cups of sunflower oil for a 10-inches (24 cm) pan.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Dust the filled koblihy with icing sugar and serve.

    Notes

    • Makes about 16 pieces of koblihy.
    • 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.
    • STORAGE: Koblihy 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.

    DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:

    Conversion chart

    Nutritional Estimate pro portion

    Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 144IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg
    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
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    Comments

    1. Lucie

      September 29, 2022 at 7:34 am

      When do I mix the yeast starter to the rest of the dough please?

      Reply

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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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