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Moravian Kolache – Moravské koláče

Sweet yeast pastry with double filling. Authentic Czech recipe.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Czech
Keyword české koláče, czech kolache, moravian cooking
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Leavening: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 16 pieces
Author Petra Kupská

Ingredients

Yeast dough:

  • 4 cups (520 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (180 ml) milk lukewarm
  • 1 and ½ oz (40 g) fresh yeast or 2 teaspoons of dry active yeast
  • 1 stick (110 g) butter unsalted
  • 2 egg yolks
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • lemon zest freshly grated from 1 lemon
  • vanilla essence
  • ½ tsp salt

Cream cheese filling (any tried which works for you - about 7 oz / 200 g)

    Plum jam (about 7 oz / 200 g)

      Streusel topping:

      • 1 stick (110 g) butter
      • ⅔ cup (130 g) granulated sugar
      • 1 cup (130 g) all purpose flour

      You’ll also need:

      • 1 whole egg for egg wash
      • flour to dust workspace

      Instructions

      • Place flour in a mixing bowl, make a dimple in the middle. Put crumbled yeast there, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sugar, pour over ¼ cup of lukewarm milk. Mix with a fork until a runny batter is created in the middle. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in the warm place for 30 minutes.
      • Meantime, melt butter over low heat, mix it with egg yolks, rest of lukewarm milk, vanilla essence, lemon zest, and salt. Whisk until combine.
      • Add whisked butter-egg liquid to the bowl with flour and activated yeast. Add sugar.
      • Knead a smooth dough: Start mixing with a fork, then use your hands to make a nice dough. It takes about 5-8 minutes. Or use a kitchen mixer with proper attachment if you have one. Let the dough rise for 45 minutes.
      • Meantime, make cream cheese (tvaroh, quark) filling. Get plum jam ready.
      • Make streusel topping: mix flour, butter, and sugar using your fingers to create small coarse crumbles.
      • When the dough has risen, dump it on the worktop. The dough should not stick, if it does, flour the worktop a little.
      • Roll the dough out into a square thick about ¼ inch – the rolled dough can’t be too thin! Divide into 16 equal pieces.
      • Place 1-2 teaspoons of cream cheese filling in the middle, then fold the opposite sides and seal together carefully. Shape the filled dough pieces between your palms into a ball.
      • Transfer the kolache to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place each kolach with the seamed side down. Let the kolache rise for another 30 minutes.
      • Preheat oven to 340 °F (170 °C).
      • For an egg wash, whisk one egg in a bowl using a fork. Press each kolach in the middle, for example, with a joint of your index finger.
      • Brush kolache with egg wash and fill holes with plum jam. Sprinkle with streusel topping.
      • Bake kolache for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

      Notes

      • Makes 16 Moravian kolache.
      • Make the cream cheese filling ahead, that it’s at room temperature when you start filling the kolache. If you used too cold cream cheese filling, the yeasted dough could not bake properly.
      • If the plum jam is too thick, mix it with a spoon of rum. Rum thins the jam and adds a wonderful flavor to the filling. If the jam is too thin or runny, add gingerbread crumbs (that’s how plum jam is thickened in the Czech Republic).