Authentic kolache recipe?

Question

Crazy people all around me (not including my husband, thank goodness!) think that the Kolache Factory turns out good and authentic kolache... ick! I would like to make some authentic kolache for Christmas. Does anyone have any tried and true recipes? Thanks in advance!

Answer

"Authentic" might mean "just the way we like them" so could you please describe the kolachky you are looking for? I have a bunch of recipes in church cookbooks from Chicago's Slavic churches and they vary widely. Some use yeast, some not, and some use melted vanilla ice cream instead of shortening. Imitating what I had bought in Chicago bakeries, I always made kolachkies with a yeast dough done like puff paste (dot with butter, fold, roll, repeat xxxx, then chill). All depends on what result you want. If you can say, I'll be glad to look up recipes and post them.

Answer

found one in the 1964 edition of Joy of Cooking; they call it Sour Cream Roills or Kolatchen. Check the library for a newer edition?

Answer

For a yeast kolachky "with a depression on top" I have used this recipe for fifty years: Liquify 1 cake yeast with 1 tablespoon sugar. Add 1 egg, 2/3 cup milk at room temp, and 1/4 tsp salt. Add 2 cups flour. Roll dough on floured boar., Divide 3/4 stick butter into 4 parts and dot dough with a quarter of the butter. Fold over like puff paste and roll. Repeat three times. Let rise in refrigerator for 2 hours to 2 days. Roll out. Cut into small circles. Lay close on cookie sheet. Make depression in center with fingers and fill with jam or any desired filling. Brush with a little egg beaten with milk or water. Let rise. Bake @ 400 10-12 minutes or until faintly golden. Dribble with powdered sugar icing. (Best to double or triple recipe.)

Answer

katie.........i just read your request and had to reply. first of all, you will need to know what part of czechoslovzkia you are talking about. and, of course, now it is separated again. my maternal grandparents were from slovakia........bratislava area and came over on the boat around 1910. the kolaches with the thumb print are traditional from the czech or bohemian region, but from slovakia the kolaches are a raised sweet dough rolled out like a jelly roll, filled with either ground nuts(over seas it would be black walnuts) or ground poppy seeds. my grandmother was unfortunately always changing her recipe and it went with her to the grave. i do own a czechoslovak cook book isbn# 0-517-505479. my daughter has my grandmothers cookbook and it just says slovak cookbook, but i must say i haven't googled it. getting back to the rolls, they are baked, cooled and sliced crossways, then sprinkled with powdered sugar for serving. i have found a bakery in sault ste.marie,ontario called Superior Bakery that makes them ONLY at Christmas. they do take orders, but i don't know if they ship.............the problem would be customs and the time.(there is a large Croation population there). hope i was some help.

Answer

Try a great cookbook "Cooking with Texas Grandmas". It has kolache recipes with several fillings. Got it at Barnes & Noble, try amazon too.

Answer

to join the discussion, my favorite filling for the center of the roll kolache, is prune. My mother made them, about 3 to 4 inches out of a white yeast, slightly sweet, dough, and in the final proofing, pushed a respectable sized indention in the top and filled it with a stewed prune mixture. Delicious. My aunts used to make various other fillings, peach, apricot, poppy seed, rhubarb, etc. But my favorite was definitely the prunes. I ate some made at the Czech festival held each summer in Wilber, NE and they were made of a dough like a danish, and it totally changed the taste. I didn't care for it at all. Now in my hometown, Caldwell, KS, the ZCBJ lodge always had a Kolache kitchen during the Sumner County Fair, and made thousands of kolaches to sell, and they are made with the yeast dough like my mother used. They are a very popular item during the fair! My father used to help with the baking of them, but my mother had died long before they started doing that. She was the most fantastic cook ever, and her kolaches were heavenly, light and the kind that made you want just one (or three) more. And as for her and daddy's jaternice! Well, I could eat that every day and feel I was in paradise!

Answer

As a side note, my mom saw my old baby-sitter the other day whom neither of us have seen since I was probably in 4th grade, and she said I can drop by a kolache anytime! :-)

Answer

This is the recipe I use. Well, I can't find my recipe at the moment, but I remember it contained just butter, cream cheese and flour -- no sugar or yeast. I also make them into crescents, so this works.

Super simple, esp for me, as I am NOT a baker!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cream-Cheese-Kolacky/Detail.aspx

BTW I am Polish. . .but I think this might be a derivative of the recipe off the Solo filling can, which is all we used for filling.

Answer

Just so you know, I signed up just to reply to this thread!

I am not Texan, but married into a Texas Czech family in a small Texas Czech community that takes great pride in its heritage. After we got married I decided I needed to learn how to make my husband's favorite comfort food, and I haven't turned back!

His idea of a kolache (which his family pronounces with a silent e) is what you described you want... the fruit or cheese filled pastries. This is the fabulous recipe that I started with:
http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/texasczech/kolaches/Kolache%20recipe.htm

My best advice:
-use butter
-use whole milk
-you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook- it's hard to hand work the dough and underworking the dough will leave you with a less rich dough
-the flour will vary with humidity level... if it's too sticky you need to add more flour, and if you dont' have to spread down the dough hook with non stick dough too keep it from climbing up the hook you're not done
-don't skimp on dough.. this recipe makes 48 kolaches- no more no less, and by the time they go in the oven they should have plumped up to almost touching each other (that how the get squarish)

Also a note on "meat kolaches". These aren't actually kolaches at all, but klobasnek (or whatever variation you like to call them). The Czech folks we know use kolach to refer more generally to all pies but never meat filled pastries. It's not a "bastardized" kolache at all- because its' not a kolache at all! They're very very tasty, but the name confusion is the fault of Kolache Factory commercialization.

Answer

Poppyseed Kolache

Ingredients

3 C. Flour
1/2 C. Ground almonds
1 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 C. Sugar
1 C. Butter
1 Egg
1 Tbs. Lemon juice
1 tsp. Grated lemon peel
2 Tbs. Water

Filling:
1 C. Poppy seed
1/2 C. Milk
1/4 C. Honey
1/3 C. Chopped dates
1/3 C. Chopped nuts
1 dash Cinnamon

Directions

Mix the first five ingredients and the lemon peel; cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly. Combine the egg, lemon juice and water to add to the flour mixture. Knead lightly into a ball; divide into 8 parts. Roll out each part on a floured board until it is 1/4 inch thick, and then cut into 4 inch square. Spoon about 1 tsp. Poppy Seed Filling into the center of each square. Bring two ends together to form a cylinder. Pinch together to seal. Place on a greased baking sheet and brush with milk. Bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes. For Filling: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan; cook over low heat until thick, stirring often. Cool and it's ready to use.

Answer

Chicago is a Slavic town and its yard sales provide many cookbooks of the type put together by churches and clubs where members contribute recipes then the pages are bound on a spiral and sold as a fundraiser. I have at hand the 1975 book put out by "Narodopisny Krouzek UMS", a Czech organization, which has seven kolach/kolacky recipes. Some use a yeast dough, some a cream cheese-based dough, and others an ice cream-based dough (4 cups flour, 1 lb butter, 1 pint vanilla ice cream, no sugar).

Answer

If you would like to cut out part of the work, I found a great bread machine kolache recipe on Allrecipes.com. It tastes like my grandmother's kolaches, and that's a HUGE compliment. Actually, my dad told me he prefers mine! It's here, if you want it: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Kolaches-From-the-Bread-Machine/Detail.aspx

Good luck!

Barb

Answer

My grandmother grew up in Chicago (Berwyn, Cicero) with parents who immigrated from western Czech Republic (Bohemia.) She and her older sister would get together once a week when I was young and bake. Kolach to them was the long roll with filling, made with a yeast dough and rolled in jelly-roll style. The most common filling was poppy seed. It was sprinkled with powdered sugar after cooling and before it was cut. They would experiment with using fruit or almond paste fillings as well. Once they made it with a filling made from ripe dark purple grapes from someone's garden. My brother & I snuck into the kitchen and ate half a roll before it cooled and were ill that night! (drunk?)
The Kolachky were the small (4") round pastries which were made with the same dough as the Kolach: "little kolach" The indentations in the center were filled with mostly poppy seed, apricot or prune filling in our house. When our Chicago relatives visited they would usually bring some kolache from a Chicago bakery. One of our favorites was the cheese-filled one, which we didn't seem to have a good recipe for. They had some crumbs on top which I always thought were powdered sugar which had sat too long, but I guess they were made of flour and butter (reading some posts here.) I didn't like that part of the kolachky. They seemed to me to be a weekend brunch thing or a hostess gift, since that was how they were gifted to us. 
The dough is stiffer than that of a Danish and doesn't taste sweet or have cardamon. 
People use different doughs and our recipe used yeast. Some used the ice cream dough. I once made kolachky for a friend who said she was 1/4 Czech, but she said the dough was completely different from her family's. She did like my homemade fillings.

A Czech woman living here in Seattle bakes kolache for sale. She calls the jelly-roll style Kolach a strudel. The dough is the kolache dough, though, not a flaky strudel dough. She also makes a sort of coffee cake with blueberries on top that has a taste with which I am familiar. She makes poppy seed, cheese and a fruit kolachky. 
I have had a rolled up poppy seed cake slice at a Russian bakery here, too, a Pierogi place. It is decent, but the poppy seed is sweeter than ours, maybe with honey added.

I worked with a Czech woman once who would rave about the family plum dumplings. I asked my grandmother about them, but she said they were too much trouble and her mother hadn't made them very often. I'd like to try making them one day. I think you need ripe prune plums, seed them, cover them with dumpling dough, boil them, and serve hot with sugar on top. The plum would squirt out juice and blend with the dough.

Back to the kolache. I'll look for my recipe and post it here soon.

Answer

Wow, I was doing a half-hearted search to find information about Kolaches and stumbled upon this interesting conversation! I grew up in the midwest (WI) and my Mom was from Cicero (Chicago). Her family was Czech, but unfortunately, I don't know the specifics (she's still alive; I'll have to research some more). Anyway, I currently live in GA and my husband has been transferred to Houston, so on a recent visit, I noticed all of the different restaurants and bakeries that offer "Kolaches." I haven't yet visited any of them, but now I will! My memory of Kolaches (which we pronounced Kolachky) is of the small, round cookie with apricot on top...I have a recipe that uses a cream cheese base. I'm not sure of its origin, but again, will ask. So, now my curiousity is picqued due to all of the references of the Czech influence in the Houston area. I'm wondering if someone would mind giving the names of some of those areas as well as "authentic" Kolache/Kolachky bakeries in the Houston area? I can't wait to return!! Thanks.

Answer

No Knead Refrigerator Kolache

4 cup flour			1 pkg. Dry yeast		1 cup cold milk			
½ cup shortening		½ cup warm water		¼ cup sugar	
½ cup butter			1 tsp. sugar			4 egg yolks
1 tsp. Salt					
				

Streusel:
	3 Tbs. Sugar, 3 Tbs. Flour, 2 Tbs. Butter: mix until crumbly.

	Measure flour, salt, shortening & butter into bowl. Mix as for pie crust. Dissolve yeast in warm water, add 1 tsp. sugar. Let rise until it comes near top of cup. Put milk in bowl; add ¼ cup sugar and 4 egg yolks. Beat together. Add dissolved yeast mixture to milk mixture. Pour liquid mixture into flour mixture, folding in until all flour is absorbed. Put on floured board and kneed into a ball. Put in a greased bowl; cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.
	Put dough on floured board. Divide into 5 pieces. Make oblong roll and cut into 12 pieces. Roll into ball and put on lightly greased baking pans. Cover and let rise to double. Do the same for the other pieces. When risen, depress centers, brush edges with melted butter, and fill with filling of your choice. Sprinkle with streusel. Let rise. Bake 375 for 10-15 min.


Kolache Press

	To press down kolache, make yourself a cloth depressor. Cut a 7 inch square piece of cloth. Put 2 Tbs of flour in center and twist the ends together to make a tight ball. Tie with string or bread twister around tight right next to compressed flour ball. Use for pressing down centers.

Answer

Go to About.com and search Polish Kolaczki Recipe. Barbara Rolek is the author. These are the apricot- filled cookies where the dough is cut into squares, a dollop of apricot is put in the center and two opposite corners are folded over. Is that what you want? Oh, it uses the cream cheese dough. Funny, being as my ancestors are Hungarian, I always thought these were Hungarian cookies.

Answer

1 cake yeast
1/4 c warm water
1 c sour cream
5 c flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 lb butter
3 beaten egg yolks
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

dissolve yeast in water. add sugar. add sour cream. Sift flour and salt. cut in butter.
add sour cream mixture, egg yolks and vanilla and mix well.
shape into 5 balls. 
Chill overnite.
roll out in xxx sugar. Cut into 2 inch squares. fill with 1 tsp preserves (or nut filling).
Pinch closed (wet fingers with cornstarch/water)
Bake on greased cookie sheet in preheated 350 degree F oven for 18 - 25 minutes.
(Bohemian origin)

Answer

Much like the United State of America, the State of Texas is the definition of a 'melting pot', with German, Polish, Czech, Mexican, Spanish, Italian, British, French and even African influences. We don't rely on a recipe, just because it's authentic. For the past 175 years, we've taken the best of all cultures and combined them. That's what makes us the greatest state in the union. We're totally accepting of all other cultures and heritages, because we realize it takes all of us to make the world go round.
Therefore, a delicious sour cream yeast roll a la the polish kolach, delicious seasoned sausage, a la our German cousins, a great strong cheddar, and the blessed presence of the jalapeno, per our parent and immediate southern neighbor, Mexico, combine to make just about the greatest food known to man. Delicsious soft yeast rolls, sausage, cheese and jalapenos; are you kidding me here? How dare any American use the word 'bastardization'. All Americans are bastards of the world, and ought, in fact, to be proud of it! We have the ability to take all of the best recipes and ingredients from all over the world; mix them together, and make something that the world has never seen before, but will never forget...
I can trace both sides of my family's heritage back to Europe. I also know that both sides came directly from Europe to Texas, and I feel luckier for it. Texas has always been much more understanding and accepting of peoples' differences than other places. So, I don't feel bad about our version of a the kolache being 'bastardized.' Our kolaches are Texan, and if being that makes them bastardized, then honey, so am I; And proud of it!!! God bless Texas.

Answer

My father grew up in Cicero and was Bohemian/Czech. I have his grandmother's recipe. Like another respondent, we called them "Kolatchkys" but the spelling is just as you have it... Anyway, my recipe calls for lard, yeast, 1/2 & 1/2, flour and eggs. It rests in the refrigerator overnight. Then it is rolled on a towel covered in sugar. We cut them in squares, put preserves in the middle, fold up the corners and pinch in the middle. I was looking for some help with my recipe which is what brought me to this page... The dough can be difficult, after you roll it in the sugar, the first cutting comes out great, but if you re-roll the scraps, the dough does not bake as well and kind of melts all over the place. I think it is the interaction between the sugar and yeast... Here is the recipe, enjoy!:
1 lb lard
1 1/2 tsp dry yeast
1/2 cup 1/2 & 1/2 or heavy cream
5 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3 egg yolks

Soften and blend lard in mixer.
Warm cream to 100-110 degrees
add yeast and stir to dissolve
add mixture to lard 
add flour, salt and eggs
Refrigerate overnight
Roll on a tea towel covered with sugar. cut into 2 1/2 - 3" squares. Place preserves in center and form into bundles. Bake @ 375 for 15 minutes.

Answer

http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/03/sweet-escape-kolaches.html

i like to make half of them with fruit and the other half rolled around cheese and pickled jalapenos (and sausage if you're into that).

Answer

For those of you wanting the jellyroll or bread type recipes, I've done a bit of searching and came up with Potica. I found a nice site with different variations of it at: http://www.poticarecipes.com
Hope this helps. They look good regardelss of whether it's what you're actually looking for or not!

Answer

I was lucky enough to grow up with kolaches served in my school cafeteria. My husband's Aunt Wilma was a school cook and we all waited for her kolaches. They were so tall that we would spoon the hot fruit out of the center before digging into the sweet dough. The dough was a soft, yeasty dough and had a sugar glaze. I have used a dough for cinnamon rolls that worked fairly well but not perfect. When we lived in Fredericksburg, VA we had a place called Kolached House that had good ones and yummy klabasnicky, which freeze well.

Answer

WHERE IS THE RECIPE????

Answer

These are not authentic in any way but they are a delicious homemade version of the Texas style kolaches. You can vary the filling to your taste. 
www.homesicktexan.com/2013/04/strawberry-cream-cheese-kolaches_22.html

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