How to Make Kolaches

9 Recipe Ratings

Kolaches are sweet, traditional Czech pastries. An authentic kolache consists of a round roll of dough, topped with a dollop of fruit or a fruit mixture.^{[1]XResearch source} They’re typically enjoyed as a breakfast food or as a sweet treat for special occasions. Once you make the standard kolache dough, you can get creative topping them with different variations of the sweet topping.

Ingredients

Crust

2¼ teaspoons (7 grams) active dry yeast OR 1¾ teaspoons (5.5 grams) instant yeast
1 cup (8 oz) warm milk
½ cup (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons (80 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (5.69 grams) salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest or ½ teaspoon ground mace or nutmeg (optional)
4 cups (17 oz) all-purpose flour

Egg Wash

1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon (4.93 mL) cream, milk, or water

Cherry Topping

½ cup (3.5 oz) granulated sugar
¼ cup (1.25 oz) cornstarch
1¼ cups (300 mL) reserved cherry juice
4 cups (28 oz) pitted sour cherries

Blueberry Topping

1/3 cup (80 mL) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons (45 mL) cornstarch
Salt
2 cups (10 oz) blueberries
2 tablespoons (30 mL) lemon juice

Apricot Topping

2 cups (12 oz) dried apricots
1 cup (8.5 oz) orange juice
½ cup (3.5 oz) granulated sugar or brown sugar
1 or 2 tablespoons (15 or 30 mL) lemon juice

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Making the Dough

1
Dissolve the yeast in a quarter cup (2 ounces) of warm milk. This is the first step if you are working with active dry yeast. It’s easiest to do this in a measuring cup because you will be pouring this mixture later. Make sure the yeast is completely dissolved.^{[2]XResearch source}
- If you are using instant yeast, you can skip this step and add the instant yeast later.
2
Mix the yeast with the milk, butter, eggs, sugar, salt, and flour in a large bowl. The butter should be softened to room temperature to make this easiest. Pour in the remaining milk, the softened butter, the eggs, the sugar, and salt, as well as the yeast mixture that you created. Then, pour in 1.5 cups of flour and mix everything together thoroughly. If you are choosing to add lemon zest, ground mace, or nutmeg, add that now as well.^{[3]XResearch source}
- If you are using instant yeast, you will add that now.
- After everything is blended, slowly add the remaining flour. You may use exactly four cups, or you may use a little bit more or less. Just make sure that the dough isn’t too sticky or too dry.
Lightly coat some space on your countertop or table with flour so that the dough doesn’t stick to it. Work the dough with your fingertips so that it becomes smooth and easy to form. After you’ve done this for about five minutes, roll it into one large ball.^{[4]XResearch source}
4
Place the dough in an oiled bowl and let rise. Spray a bowl with cooking oil, or pour about a tablespoon of oil into the bottom. Place the large ball of dough into the bowl, and roll it in place so that it’s coated with the oil. Then, it’s time to let the dough rise.^{[5]XResearch source}
- Cover your bowl, either with a kitchen towel or with cling wrap. Let it rise in your kitchen (or any warm place) for about two to three hours. You can also let it rise overnight in your refrigerator, if that is easier.
5
Knead the dough and allow to rise again. After the dough has almost doubled in volume, you want to push it down into the bowl and gently knead again. Then put the cover back on, set it aside once again, and let it double in size over about an hour and fifteen minutes. When the time has passed and the dough has risen again, knead it, split it into two halves, and let it rise a final time for about ten minutes. Finally, your dough is ready.^{[6]XResearch source}
- Making kolache dough takes patience, but it’s key that it has time to rise fully and bulk up. This creates the chewy, dense dough that kolaches are known for.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Forming the Kolaches

Once again, sprinkle some flour on a flat surface to prevent your dough from sticking to it. Using a rolling pin, flatten out your dough so that it is about 1/2 inch (1.27 cm) thick.^{[7]XResearch source}
2
Cut your dough into rounds. Each round should be about 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) across. The easiest way to create these rounds is to use a cookie cutter, but you can also use the rim of a proper-sized glass. Press the cookie cutter or the rim of the glass firmly into the dough, and then peel up the dough around the circle.^{[8]XResearch source}
- Roll your excess dough into a ball, and then use your rolling pin to flatten it out onto the floured surface again. Cut out the rounds, and then roll the excess dough up again. Continue doing this until you’ve used all your dough.
You can line your baking sheet with parchment paper or grease it to make sure the dough doesn’t stick to it. Once again, cover the dough with a kitchen towel or cling wrap. Set the baking sheet aside and let the dough rise again for about an hour.^{[9]XResearch source}
4
Make the indentations in the dough. Once the dough has risen and each round has doubled in size, it is time to make the indentations in the middle. This step basically makes dough round into a little bowl that will hold the topping as they bake.^{[10]XResearch source}
- Use your thumb or a small spoon to press down gently into the center of each round. Make sure that you don’t make the indentations too large – each round should still have about a 0.5 inch (1.27 cm) rim around the perimeter.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Preparing the Toppings

Mix the sugar, cornstarch, and cherry juice in a saucepan. Use a wooden spoon to stir until everything is thoroughly mixed. Put the saucepan on the stove and set it to medium heat. Once the mixture starts boiling and thickening up, turn off the heat and add the pitted cherries.^{[11]XResearch source}
Mix the sugar, cornstarch, salt, blueberries, and lemon juice together in a saucepan. Turn the stovetop to medium heat to warm the mixture while continuously stirring. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat on your stovetop down and let the mixture simmer for about ten minutes. The final product should be fairly thick.^{[12]XResearch source}
This one will take a bit longer than the cherry and blueberry toppings. You’ll need to simmer the dried apricots and the orange juice in a saucepan for about half an hour, or until soft. Then, drain the orange juice and put the tender apricots into a food processor to puree with sugar and lemon juice. Once the mixture is nice and smooth, it’s all set.^{[13]XResearch source}
While a fruit topping is the traditional topping, it is certainly not the only one you can make. Other common variations are poppyseed and cream cheese kolaches. You can even make savory kolaches with different types of breakfast meats. Don’t be afraid to get creative!^{[14]XResearch source}
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Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Adding the Toppings & Baking

Set it to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, or 190 degrees Celsius.^{[15]XResearch source} It’s good to do this before you start adding your toppings to the dough so that it will be ready to go once you are finished. Depending on your oven, it will take about ten to twenty minutes to preheat.
To prepare the egg wash, simply beat one large egg and add a teaspoon (4.93 mL) of milk, cream, or water. Using a pastry brush, brush it generously onto each of the dough rounds.^{[16]XResearch source}
3
Spoon the toppings into the center indentations. You only need to put about a spoonful onto each of the rounds. The indentation should be completely filled with topping.^{[17]XResearch source}
- If you don’t use all of the toppings you created, it can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen to use again next time you prepare kolaches.
4
Bake your kolaches and serve. Put your kolaches in the oven and set the timer for 12 minutes. Keep an eye on the kolaches, though, and take them out when the dough has turned golden brown. Use a spatula to remove your kolaches from the hot baking pan and let them cool on a wire rack or another surface. Serve immediately and enjoy!^{[18]XResearch source}
- You can store uneaten kolaches at room temperature for about two days after making them. If you won’t eat them for a while, you can pop them in the freezer and save them for up to three months.
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Community Q&A

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Question
Where can I buy the wooden "pusher" thing to make the "holes" in the kolaches before adding the filling?
Community Answer
if you are talking about the nozzles that are in front of the icing bags, you can buy them from your local supermarket.
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