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Texas fruit kolaches

Soft Czech-Texan buns with apricot, cherry or cream cheese centres

Kolaches came to central Texas with Czech settlers in the 1800s, and the bakeries along the highway through West, Caldwell and Hallettsville now sell them by the dozen for breakfast. They are soft, sweet yeast buns with a well pressed into the top, filled with apricot, cherry, prune or sweetened cream cheese and dusted with a crumbly posypka topping. Chef's tip: press the well deep and wide, nearly to the base, or the buns rise and push the filling out.
Total time
63 min
Difficulty
medium
Serves
16
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Ingredients

Serves16

For the dough

For the fillings

For the posypka

  • 1 ⅜ oz plain flour
  • 1 ⅜ oz sugar
  • ⅞ oz cold butter
  • 1 oz buttermelted, for brushing

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Method

0/5 done
  1. Step 1: Mix the 1 cup milk, ¼ oz instant dried yeast, 2 ⅛ oz sugar, 2 ⅞ oz butter, 2 egg yolks and 1 tsp salt, add the 1 lb plain flour and knead 8 minutes to a soft dough. Cover and rise 1 hour, until doubled.

    70 min
  2. Step 2: Beat the 5 ½ oz cream cheese, 1 ⅜ oz sugar, 1 egg yolk and ½ tsp lemon zest until smooth. Rub the 1 ⅜ oz plain flour, 1 ⅜ oz sugar and ⅞ oz cold butter together to crumbs.

    5 min
  3. Step 3: Divide the dough into 16 balls and set them 4 cm apart on two lined trays. Flatten slightly, cover and rise 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan).

    35 min
  4. Step 4: Press a deep, wide well into each bun with two fingers, leaving a 1 cm rim. Fill half with 5 ½ oz thick apricot jam and half with the cream cheese, and sprinkle the posypka over.

    8 min
  5. Step 5: Bake for 15–18 minutes until golden; the cheese filling should be set. A common mistake is overbaking, which dries the soft dough. Brush the rims with the 1 oz butter while hot.

    18 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories
220 kcal
Protein
5 g
Carbs
34 g
Fat
7 g
Fibre
1 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does texas fruit kolaches take?
About 63 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 18 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegetarian?
Yes. It has no meat or fish.
What can I use instead of milk?
Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
What can I use instead of sugar?
Caster sugar, same amount.

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