In response to, um, overwhelming demand (thank you Tigerwoman!), here it is...
MORAVIAN KOLACHES
(BTW... Moravia is the eastern part of the Czech Republic, with Brno as its capital; the western two-thirds of the country are called Bohemia; hence the name of your favorite beer garden in Astoria, Queens.)
DOUGH:
4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups butter, melted
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons dark rum
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1 beaten egg for glaze
Mix yeast with warm (not hot) milk, let stand for 5 min. Add 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour; cover and keep in a warm place until light and foamy. Add remaining ingredients and knead dough a few times until smooth, shiny and elastic. Cover and let rise in a warm place until the dough is at least doubled in bulk (it will deflate some when you start working with it but thats OK).
CHEESE FILLING:
1/2 lb or more (this depends entirely on how much filling you want to put inside each bun, and how big they will be) farmers cheese, cream cheese, or a combination
1/2 stick butter, softened, only if NOT using cream cheese (its fatty enough)
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sugar or to taste (filling should be slightly sweet but still tangy)
1/2 cup raisins or more
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
milk as needed (filling should be clumpy but not dry)
Blend ingredients with spatula until well combined.
PLUM FILLING:
1 cup plum butter (sold under the name Lekvar or Powidl in Eastern European Hungarian, Polish, German - grocery stores, e.g. in Yorkville or Greenpoint)
2 tablespoons dark rum
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Stir ingredients until blended. A jam-like consistency is desirable.
CRUMB TOPPING:
3 tablespoons flour
1 ½ tablespoon cold butter
1 ½ tablespoon sugar
Blend ingredients with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal; it should remain clumpy.
METHOD:
Pinch pieces of dough from the bulk, flatten with your palm, and using two teaspoons, drop cheese filling in the center. (The size is up to you, I like them on the small side but a regular sized kolach would be made from a piece the size of a plum, flattened to a 1/4 or 1/3 thickness.) Seal carefully and place on a greased cookie sheet, sealed side down; allow approx. 2 between individual pastries. Dip your fingertip or knuckle in flour and make a deep depression in the center of each bun; fill the hollow with plum filling (I use a Ziploc sandwich bag with a cut-off corner for this). Using a pastry brush, brush the kolaches with the beaten egg. Finally, press a small mound of crumb mixture on top of each bun.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden. They keep pretty well for a couple of days.