Bohemian Kolaches - Czech Sweet Pastries

For anyone who has had a Kolache, you know how special they are. It's similar to a traditional danish, but with a few differences. Don't let the long ingredient list deter you, they are fairly easy to make. This recipe is dedicated to the sweet dessert or fruit ones, but you can make savory buns as well. Check out my recipe for savory kolaches (called klobasnek).

For this recipe though, here's what you'll need to make 16 sweet pastries:

Photo byTrent Nelson

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole milk, warmed
• 10 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3 1/2 - 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the cream cheese filling*:

• 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest grated

For the fruit filling*:

• 10 ounces fresh or frozen fruit (blueberries, raspberries, cherries, or other berries)
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch

For the streusel topping:

• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar plus 2 teaspoons
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter cut into small pieces and chilled

In a large measuring cup or bowl, mix together the warmed milk, butter, and eggs (the mixture may appear lumpy).

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the dry ingredients—flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Pour in the milk mixture from the first step and knead on low speed for 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading for 8 to 12 minutes until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour or refrigerate it overnight.

For the cream cheese filling:

Combine cream cheese, sugar, flour, and lemon zest, and mix well for about 1 minute or until all incorporated and creamy. Cover and refrigerate until needed

For the fruit filling:

Combine your fruit of choice with the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir and mash if necessary to break up large fruit pieces. Cook until it begins to thicken, then remove from heat and allow to cool enough to fill into a large piping bag. (You can also spoon the fruit mixture in if you're not worried about drips)

For the streusel topping:

Combine flour and sugar, then cut-in butter pieces until crumbly and no pieces are larger than a pea. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

To assemble and bake:

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Divide the dough into 16 equal portions and shape them into balls.

Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, cover them with plastic wrap, and let them rest in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour the bottom of a drinking glass with a 2 1/4 inch diameter. Use it to press deep indentations in the center of each dough ball until the bottom of the measure touches the baking sheet.

Fill each indentation with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling (if making both cheese and fruit fillings, you’ll only need half of each filling recipe).

Brush the tops of the pastries with an egg wash, then sprinkle the sides with streusel.

Bake for about 15 minutes, being careful not to overbake—the pastries should remain pale in color. Allow them to cool for about 20 minutes before serving.

Enjoy warm!

*Notes:

Instructions for cream cheese and fruit filling are for all 16 pastries. If you would like to do a mixture of both, just cut each filling recipe in half.