Koblihy – Czech Jam-filled Donuts

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. The recommended temperature for frying donuts is 350 °F (180 °C). Put enough oil; the donuts should 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