Kolacki

[DeepDish]

It's pronounced KO-LOTCH-KEE.

They're a Polish dessert pastry and they're scrumptious, does anyone have a decent recipe, or know what I'm talking about, and if you do, what is your preferred filling?

Thanks.

[chainsaw_chef]

Made them for years when I was younger first working in scratch bakeries. I preferred a cream cheese filling. I will break down my volume recipe and post it soon.

[Kimchee]

Man oh man my Polish/Romanian grandmother (and my mom) could make some kolaches!
Unfortunately I didn't get the recipe before they passed, sighhh

But this one worked good for me last year around this time...
I included some filling recipes too.
(Personally, next time I make them I will just use Pillsbury premade dough from the refrigerated section, because I am NOT a baker, LOL)

Kolache--A Guide for the Novice by Susan Rektorik Henley

1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Packages of yeast
1/2 Cup warm water (105 - 115 degrees)
2 Cups milk
1/2 Cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening
2 Teaspoons salt
2 Egg yolks
1/2 Cup sugar
6 1/4 Cups bread flour, sifted
1 1/2 Sticks of melted butter

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over the yeast and dissolve in lukewarm (105-110 degrees) water. Set aside to rise.

Heat the milk in a small saucepan; add the shortening to dissolve. Allow to cool to lukewarm; then add salt, slightly-beaten egg yolks, and sugar.

Combine milk-egg mixture and yeast mixture. Add flour gradually and work dough by hand or with a mixer until glossy. Keep it a little sticky, if at all possible.

About the first three cups of flour can be added in the beginning. Stir with a wooden spoon until too heavy to handle. Gather dough
together with clean, floured hands, and knead. If the dough sticks to your hands or the surface, a little more flour is needed. Add flour by putting
a slightly thicker coat on hands and surface. Continue to knead until
the dough acquires a sheen.

Cover, place in a warm, draft-free place, and let rise until double in bulk, about 45 minutes to an hour.

You can tell if the dough has doubled by pushing two floured fingers into the top of the dough about 1/2 inch deep. If the impressions remain, the dough has doubled.

After the dough has risen, punch down the dough, and lightly knead.
Divide into egg-sized portions with a spoon and form balls. Place in well oiled baking pans about an inch apart and butter well; half margarine may be substituted, but some butter is essential for the flavor.

Let rise (about 15 minutes), then make indentions in the dough balls for the fruit filling. Fill each indention with a large teaspoon full of fruit filling. Make sure indentations are deep.


Butter each kolache well. Over the fruit filling, generously sprinkle the Popsika.

Place pans of kolache in a warm, draft free place, and allow to double in bulk again, about 45 minutes to one hour.

Place in an oven preheated to 375 degrees. Bake until golden brown.

Some recipes say that the kolaches will brown in 20 to 40 minutes. Browning time can vary by the type of pan used. It is best to avoid dark pans. Check the bottoms of the kolaches to ensure they do not burn.
Remove the kolaches from the oven and slather with melted butter.
Cool slightly, remove from pans, and cool on wire racks. Recipe makes
3 to 4 dozen.

Fruit Fillings

Linda Conrad's Prune Filling

1 large package of dried prunes (the pitted ones cost more but are
easier to use.)
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
1 Teaspoon vanilla
3/4 Cup sugar

Cover the prunes with water in a medium-sized saucepan and simmer
until tender. Drain the liquid. Mash the prunes until smooth if the
pitted type is used. If using prunes with the pits still in them,
remove the pits with your fingers. then add the cinnamon, vanilla,
and sugar. This recipe makes enough filling for one batch of
kolaches, 3 to 4 dozen.

Other Fruit Fillings

A variety of fruit fillings can be used for one batch of kolaches.
Common fruit used are apple, apricot, peach, and prune. The following
recipe works well for most fruits...if using dried fruit.

1 1/2 Cup of dried fruit
1/2 to 3/4 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
1 Teaspoon vanilla

Note: Some cooks prefer to use almond extract instead of vanilla
extract. It is all a matter of taste.

Place the dried fruit in a medium saucepan and cover with water until
the fruit is covered by about an inch of water...about 2 inches if
using dried apples. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook
until tender (about 35 - 45 minutes or until the fruit falls away
freely when skewered and raised on a dinner folk.

Remove the pits, if present. Mash the fruit until smooth. Add the
cinnamon and vanilla. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and taste. More sugar may
be added, if desired.

Virginia Atkinson's Cottage Cheese Filling

1 (24 ounce) container cottage cheese, drained 1 Cup sugar 1 Teaspoon vanilla 1/2 Teaspoon Almond Extract 3 egg yolks

Mix all ingredients together well.

Popsika

1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup flour
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons of melted butter

Combine all ingredients until the mixture resembles a course meal. A
fork and then fingers are useful in breaking up clumps.

APPRICOT -OR- PRUNE LEKVAR

* 1 lb. of dried Apricots -OR- pitted dried Prunes
* water to just cover
* 1 cup of sugar

It is easy to make the fruit filling for Kipfels and filled cookies. Take a pound of dried fruit, either apricots or prunes, and put them in a sauce pan to cover with water and set them on the stove to cook. Do not let all the water evaporate or the Lekvar will burn.
Add a little more water to keep this from happening. Once the fruit is soft add to the fruit one cup of sugar and further cook until thick. Remove from pot and puree with a food mill or a cuisinart. The puree will should be thick, not runny. If it is runny, cook till it is thick. Ladle the puree into pint sized freezer bags. These bags can be frozen until you need them or used right away. By cutting off a small corner, the bag now becomes a pastry bag which can be used to squeeze the puree onto the kipfel before it is rolled or folded up. This saves a lot of time and mess. You will want to make both prune and apricot. You will have some filling left over that be kept frozen until you need it. Then just cut off the corner of the plastic pouch and you are ready to go.

[homecook]

Here's a recipe that I've used numerous times. It comes from my grandmother.

Kolachy

1 pkg. yeast
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter
1 cup margarine
3 egg yolks
1/2 pint sour cream
sugar

Mix yeast in with flour. Cut in butter and margarine as for pie crust. Beat together egg yolks and sour cream. Add to flour mixture and mix together well. Shape into ball and wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate overnight. When ready to use only use 1/4 of the dough at a time. Sprinkle area with granulated sugar and roll dough a 1/4 inch thick, turning it over to sugar the other side. Cut with a 2-1/2 inch round cookie cutter. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Make indentation in center and fill with any thick filling such as poppyseed, pineapple, apricot or cream cheese.
Bake at 350F for 20 minutes on until lightly browned.

NOTE: When my grandmother and I made these we would cut them into squares, put the filling in the middle and bring opposite points together in the middle, over the filling.

Cream Cheese Filling

Blend one 8oz. pkg. cream cheese with 1/3 cup sugar, 2 T. flour and 1 tsp. vanilla. Mix well.

Nut Filling

Heat 1/2 cup milk. Add 1 lb. ground walnuts, stirring until milk is absorbed. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup sugar or 1/2 cup honey. Add 1 tsp. vanilla. Cool before using.

[Big Daddy's House]

I think I had that before.

[Chowhound]

I think I've had that before, too, judging from the pic. I just didn't know what they were called.

[homecook]

Since I'm Polish these were a staple especially around the holidays or weddings. lol We used to crank out dozens of these every year.
I don't make them as often any more but I think maybe I'll make them this year again. Thanks for the reminder!