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Kolache recipe
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Czech Kolache Recipe

Want to try authentic Czech food? Don't miss "kolache" by any means! Kolache (in Czech kolace) are a round sweet pastry with various fillings. The kolache came to the USA with Czechs who moved to start a new life there at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Since then, kolache have been a great success, and no wonder they taste fantastic!
Course Sweet Pastry
Cuisine Czech
Keyword Authentic Czech Food
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Rising Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings 18 kolache
Calories 153kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 and ½ cups all-purpose flour (450 g)
  • ¾ cup milk (180 ml) lukewarm, not hot
  • 2 and ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
  • stick unsalted butter (75 g) melted, not hot
  • cup coarse sugar (70 g)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla paste optional
  • pinch of salt

For an egg wash:

  • 1 egg beaten with a fork

Fillings for kolache:

  • to your liking

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan, heat the milk until lukewarm. Pour the dry yeast and a teaspoon of sugar into the milk. The sugar will encourage the yeast to activate. Stir everything with a spoon and leave it in a warm place for about 10-15 minutes until foam forms on the surface.
  • Meanwhile, melt the butter, which should be semi-liquid but not hot. Around 30 seconds in a microwave are ideal.
  • Add the flour, sugar, salt into a mixing bowl. Add an egg, vanilla, melted butter, and activated yeast with milk.
  • Begin with the dough. Roughly combine all ingredients in a bowl with a fork. Turn the mixture out onto a floured work surface and use your hands to work it into a smooth elastic dough. If the dough is too sticky, dust it with a tablespoon of flour and continue kneading. Repeat until the dough is no longer sticky.
  • Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for 40 minutes.
  • Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide it into equal parts. If you have a kitchen scale and want kolache the same size, weigh each piece on the scale. The weight of a piece of dough for one pie is around 1 and ½ oz (45 g).
  • Shape each piece of dough into a ball. Place it on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Leave enough space between the balls so that the cakes don't touch and bake into a square later. The classic Czech kolach is round!
  •  Let the dough balls rise in a warm place for another 40 minutes. Cover the dough with a clean tea towel if you leave the dough to rise on the kitchen counter.
  • Time to shape kolache! We need to create a beautiful round kolach and create a depression in the center for the filling placement. Take a round-bottomed vessel about 3 inches in diameter, such a glass. I used a ½ measuring cup. Wrap the bottom with a clean dish towel so that there are no creases. Press the wrapped vessel evenly into the dough with light pressure from above. The kolach is stretched out wide and round, and an indentation is made in the middle for the filling.
  • In a shallow bowl, beat an egg using a fork and create an egg wash. Brush it over the edges of the kolache pastries.
  • Now, place the filling in the middle of each kolach. Just about 1 to 1.½ tablespoons per kolach are enough. If you like, sprinkle the cakes with streusel topping.
  • Let's bake kolache! Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Place the sheet with kolache in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are golden brown.

Notes

  • Makes 18 kolache about 3 inches (7-8 cm) in diameter. 
  • I make the dough for kolaches by hand. If you have a stand mixer you're used to making yeast dough in, feel free to use it. It'll save you work!
  • Prepare the fillings for kolache in advance and let them come to room temperature before filling!
  • Tip on rising yeast dough: I let the dough rise in the oven, on the bottom of which I placed a pot with hot, lightly steaming water. Close the oven door. The warm and humid environment does wonders for the dough, it always rises well.
  • STORAGE: Kolache taste best the same day you bake it. Stored in an airtight container, they will keep at room temperature for around three days. Store the kolache with fresh cheese filling in a fridge or another cool place.

Nutrition

Calories: 153kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 147IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg