A Czech pastry made from a rich dough with a sweet center, these Kolaches are a delicious treat that you can make at home! This recipe has quickly become a family favorite.
Love a good breakfast pastry? Also try this Monkey Bread, Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, or Sticky Buns.
The first time I had ever heard of kolaches was back in 2008 – when I made and posted a recipe for them here!
The recipe had a few flaws, and since then, I’ve been able to try some really amazing kolaches, so I knew I had to come back and update this post with an improved recipe.
It took me more than a few tries to get it just right, but let’s just say that these breakfast pastries are now a favorite in our house. In fact, my daughter has claimed that may have her number one spot!
What are Kolaches?
Let’s ask the important question first. Because back in 2008, I had no idea.
Kolaches are a Czech pastry that was brought to the United States by immigrants. They are super popular through Texas, and in other areas where many Czech people settled, like Nebraska and Iowa.
They consist of a rich dough, somewhat similar to a brioche, that is baked with a filling in the center. My kids all proclaimed that they are like a mix of a roll and a doughnut. Traditionally, you won’t find them with a savory filling, only sweet, but in many bakeries today, you’ll find a mix of both. (A savory version is actually called a klobasnek.) Popular kolaches flavors include prune, poppy seed, and cream cheese. In most kolache bakeries today, you’ll usually find many different fruit varieties.
From what I can tell, the traditional version also includes the streusel, or posypka. The bakeries where I have had this delicious treat did not have the topping, but I do really enjoy it.
Ingredients
This recipe consists of four different components:
The Dough: This is a rich yeast bread dough. Along with the normal bread ingredients – flour, yeast, and salt, its richness comes from butter, eggs, and milk. It also has sugar to bring a slight sweetness.
The Fruit Filling: For this version, I make a homemade blueberry filling. All you need is blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. It’s not super sweet, so feel free to add a bit more sugar if you want it sweeter. You could also use a premade pie filling of your choice – either homemade or store bought. One of my very favorite kolaches that I’ve tried was filled with lemon curd.
The Cream Cheese Filling: This is a sweetened cream cheese filling with cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla. Note that the cream cheese filling calls for half of an egg – don’t worry about wasting because you’ll use the other half of the egg as an egg wash before the kolaches are baked. Just place the egg in a bowl and whisk, the divide and use half for the filing and half for the egg wash.
The Streusel: This streusel has basic ingredients: flour, sugar, melted butter, and just a pinch of salt.
How to Make Kolaches
This recipe may seem complicated, but it’s really quite simple, especially when you break it into the four different components.
I’m going to walk you through each of these four components, but make sure and read through the recipe card below because the fillings and the streusel can be made while dough is rising.
The Dough
1: Start by combining part of the flour, the sugar and the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer, then pour in the warm milk. Let this sit until it starts to bubble, about 15 minutes.
2: Add in the butter, eggs, salt and more flour.
3: Switch to the dough hook and continue to mix and add more flour.
4: Knead the dough until you have a silky dough that is still a little sticky, but not overly sticky.
5: Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover.
6: Let the dough rise until doubled.
7: Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Shape them into balls and place on a baking sheet and cover.
8: Let them rise until they are about doubled.
9: Use your fingers to create a well in the centers of the balls. You want it fairly wide and almost to the bottom of the ball.
10: Brush the edges of the dough with your egg wash.
11: Fill the centers with either the blueberry filling or the cream cheese filling – or a mixture of both!
12: Sprinkle the streusel over the tops of the kolaches, and bake until cooked through.
The Blueberry Filling
This can be made while the dough is rising, or even the day before!
Simply combine all of your ingredients in a small pot and place over medium heat. Bring it to a boil and let it cook until it is thick and syrupy. Remove it from the heat and transfer to a bowl and let it cool completely. If making a day ahead, store it in the refrigerator.
The Cream Cheese Filling
This can also be made while the dough is rising or the day before.
Beat the cream cheese until it is smooth, the add in the sugar, half of the egg, and vanilla extract.
The Streusel
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, melted butter and salt. Set it aside and let the butter cool completely. Once the mixture has solidified, take a fork and scrape the mixture, creating the crumbs.
You’ll want to start this during the first rise, to give the butter plenty of time to solidify.
Tips and Tricks
This makes enough filling to fill half of the kolaches with blueberry filling and half with the cream cheese filling. If desired, you can place 1 tablespoon of each in each of the pastries, which is my favorite. Or you can double the blueberry filling if you only want blueberry, or double the cream cheese filling if you only want cream cheese.
These are best served warm the day they are made, but can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 5 days. I like to put it in the microwave for about 10 seconds before serving.
I tried using jam in the centers instead of more of a pie filling, but the jam didn’t quite work for me. But feel free to experiment!
Even More Sweet Breakfast Treats
Cinnamon Muffins
Overnight French Toast Casserole
German Apple Pancake
Puff Pastry Danish with Blueberries and Cream Cheese
Blueberry Waffles
Easy Cake Donut Recipe
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Kolaches Recipe
Ingredients
Dough:
- 4 cups (480 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (66 g) granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (0.25 oz) active dry yeast
- 1 cup (8 oz) milk, heated to 110ºF to 115ºF
- 1/2 cup (4 oz) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (use 1/2 teaspoon if using table salt)
Blueberry Filling:
- 1 cup (6 oz) fresh blueberries
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Streusel Topping:
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- Pinch of salt
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (57 g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 lightly beaten egg (save the other half for the egg wash)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, and the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the milk and mix just to combine. Let the mixture sit until it is bubbling, about 15 minutes.
- In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter, egg, and egg yolks.
- Once the mixture has bubbled, add in the butter and eggs along with 2 more cups of the flour and the salt. Mix until combined, then switch to the dough hook. Continue to knead, adding more of the flour if needed, for about 10 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky, but not overly sticky.
- Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray (or oil with an oil of your choice) and place the dough in the bowl. Cover and let it rise until doubled, 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.
- While the dough is rising, make the blueberry filling. In a small pot, combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook, stirring often, until the mixture is thick and has a jam-like consistency, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely.
- Make the streusel topping by combining the flour, sugar, melted butter, and salt. Let the mixture sit until you are ready to use it, letting it cool completely. Once needed, take a fork and scrape the mixture until you get fine crumbs, breaking up all big clumps.
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into 15 equal pieces. Form each into a smooth ball. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size, another 30 to 45 minutes.
- While the dough is in its last rise, make the cream cheese filling. Place the cream cheese in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until light and smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar, the half of a lightly whisked egg, and the vanilla. Continue to beat until fully combined and smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Use your fingers to make an indentation in each ball that is about 2 1/4 inches in diameter, and almost as deep as the ball.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 of an egg with a teaspoon of water. Brush this mixture over the top of each pastry (you won’t brush this on the inside of the indentation).
- Fill each hole with about 2 tablespoons of filling. You can do all cream cheese, all cherry, or half and half.
- Sprinkle the streusel topping over the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the dough lightly golden brown, about 17-19 minutes.
- Serve warm.
Stephanie says
hi, the recipe calls for 4 cups of flour but in the instructions it only has 3 (1 cup at first then 2 cups later). can you please clarify? (I’m making these right now lol)
Deborah says
I’m so sorry I missed this comment! I hope they worked out for you! You use 1 cup in the beginning, then add the 2 cups, and then add as much of the last cup that you need to make a dough that is just slightly sticky, but not overly sticky. Sometimes I need the whole remaining cup and sometimes less.
Kristen says
We have a Kolache bakery down the street that is just awesome. I keep thinking I’ll make Kolaches, but when you can get them that close and they are sooooo good, it is hard to make the effort!
Arfi Binsted says
That’s a different look of Kolache I had made a long time ago. Perhaps, richer? It’s always good with a cup of tea or coffee, isn’t it?
Barbara Bakes says
I make kolaches for Christmas breakfast every year, but without a streusel topping. Sounds like a great addition.
Christie @ fig&cherry says
I love peaches and this looks divine, I’m definitely going to give it a try. Thanks for the recipe!
eatme_delicious says
I’ve never heard of kolaches before either, but they look great! I love buns/breakfasty things like this. Saving the recipe!
glamah16 says
Ive never heard of a kolaches but I want one now!