This is an easy homemade kolache recipe with your choice of fruit or sweetened cheese filling. Fresh out of the oven, your family will swoon over these pastries!
Servings: 16
Calories: 288kcal
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 cup whole milk
- 10 tablespoons butter , melted
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 3.5 cups all purpose flour (17.5 ounces)* (up to 4 cups)
- 1/3 cup sugar (2.3 ounces)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the cheese filling:
- 6 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 3 tablespoons sugar**
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest grated
- 6 ounces ricotta cheese (3/4 cup)
For the fruit filling
- 10 ounces pineapple , blueberries, cherries, or other berries (fresh or frozen)
- 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 8 pieces and chilled
For the egg wash
- 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
For the dough (makes 16 kolaches):
- Combine milk, butter and eggs together in measuring cup (will be lumpy)
- Combine dry ingredients (ie, flour, sugar, yeast, salt) in the bowl of a standing mixer then add milk mixture from step 1 and knead for 2 minutes on low speed
- Increase speed to medium and continue kneading for 8 to 12 minutes until dough no longer sticks to side of bowl
- Place dough in an oiled bowl and let rise in warm place for 1 hour or refrigerate overnight in a covered bowl
For the cheese filling (enough for 16):
- Combine all ingredients except for ricotta and mix well for about 1 minute. Add ricotta and mix for another 30 seconds. Cover and refrigerate until needed
For the streusal:
- Combine all ingredients and mix together with fingers. Cover and refrigerate until needed
For the fruit filling (enough for 16):
- Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and mix well. Microwave on high for about 6 to 8 minutes and stir halfway through cooking.
To assemble and bake
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Divide dough into 16 equal size portions and form balls
- Arrange on prepared pans, cover with plastic and allow to rest in warm place for 1.5 hours
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease and flour the bottom of a 1/3 cup dry measure or a glass with a 2 1/4 inch diameter and use to make deep indents on top of each ball until bottom of measure touches baking sheet (see photo)
- Fill each indentation with about 1.5 tablespoons of filling (if you are making both cheese and fruit filling, you will need only half of each filling recipe)
- Brush tops of each pastry with egg wash, and then sprinkle sides with streusel
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (do not over bake - you want them very pale in color) and let cool for about 20 minutes.
- Serve warm
Notes
- I use King Arthur brand flour, which is 4.25 oz per cup. Other all purpose flour have slightly different weights. Start with 3.5 cups and add a bit more if too sticky
- I thought the cheese filling wasn't sweet enough. Try the filling with the recommended sugar (3 tablespoons) but add another tablespoon or two to sweeten if needed.
- Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated.
- Nutrition facts below estimated for cheese filled kolache.
Nutrition
Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 196mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 518IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 2mg
