Hi Everyone / Nazdar vsichni!
I found this “State Grand Champion Poppy Seed Kolaches” (by Claudia Matcek). I haven’t made it according to her instructions yet but it seems easy to understand. I have a real appreciation for such recipes because I have countlessly tried to bake Kolace (and various other Czech pastry) but with…..let’s just say, little luck. The problem was that I was reading the recipes out of the Czech cookbooks and ingredients such as “kostka masla” (cube of butter) or “prasek na peceni” or (one package of baking powder) does not have an equivalent here in the US unless you have stocked up supplies from the Czech Republic.
Anyway, good luck, here it is and let me know how they came out!
Claudia Matcek’s
State Grand Champion
Poppy Seed Kolaches
Claudia is proud to say she is the 1987 State and Burleson County
Grand Champion Kolache Baker and the 1996 County Grand Champion!
Dough:
2 pkgs. dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup warm water
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
5 1/4 cups sifted flour
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/2 cup butter or oleo
1 cup flour sifted
Method
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and let stand. Heat milk in saucepan until pretty hot to touch, almost scalding. Remove from heat and stir in butter or oleo and 1/2 cup sugar. Cool to lukewarm and add yeast mixture. In large bowl combine salt and 5 1/4 cups flour. Add the yeast and milk mixture to flour and mix. Mix in egg yolks. Mix in enough of last cup of flour for desired texture. (“So it’s workable, not too sticky to take out of bowl and knead.”) Most of the time I use the whole cup. Knead on floured board until glossy. Grease bowl. Put dough in bowl, rolling it around to grease dough. Cover and let it rise in warm place until double in bulk. Roll out dough to about 1/2 inch thick and cut into individual kolaches with biscuit cutter. Place on greased pan so not quite touching. Brush with softened butter or oleo and let rise again covered until light to touch. Make indention in each and fill with filling of your choice. Bake in 375 degree oven until brown, about 25 minutes. Remove and brush with softened butter or oleo.
Poppy Seed Filling:
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup ground poppy seed
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon butter or oleo
Heat milk and when it boils add sugar, flour and poppy seed, stirring vigorously. Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Add butter or margarine and then add vanilla. Cool filling before adding to kolaches dough. Spoon about one teaspoon filling in each kolache
Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons oleo
4 tablespoons milk
Combine ingredients. Spoon over kolaches while still warm.
Recipe taken from: http://www.burlesoncountytx.com/Kolache%20Pages/Claudia%20Matcek’s.htm
By the way if you are looking for a Czech cookbook yourself, this is a great one:
If you liked this post buy me a coffee! (Suggested:$3 a latte $8 for a pound) Thanks!
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{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Just finished baking kolace and it came out great! I mean, not perfect (mine are kind of giant), but great! The only thing I didn’t get was the glaze. It turned out runny and when I spooned it over the kolace it didn’t stay on. Other than that, I am pretty satisfied with my baking skills;) Now, if you excuse me, I am going to have another one of my art pieces….
Thank you for the recipe and link, Tanja. I was looking for authentic kolace recipes. My grand-father used to own a beer joint in El Campo, Texas that had a largely Czech clientele, and that is where I became acquainted with real kolace (not like the ones they sell in donut shops now!).
Awesome! Great morning for making kolaches.The dough is amazing to work with. I made prune and poppy seed. Had enough dough leftover so I made some pig in the blankets, they were out of this world, the dough was so soft, not heavy tasting.Delicious. Use 2 inch glass to cut dough, then put in pan, spread with two fingers from each hand to form circle to make well then fill with the your favorite filling.
We do not use any glaze on the real Czech Kolaches. After baking we powder them with sugar.
You can also use other kinds of filling, e.g. cheese filling (In the Czech Rep. we have special type of cheese, but you can use whipped cream cheese instead and then add sugar and raisins). Or we also use special plum cream. I think you can make kolaches with dried plums instead, but they must be soft. In my opinion these are the most delicious.
In my previous email I used dry plums instead of prunes. Sorry.
Jarmilo, thanks for the tip! I have never thought of whipped cream cheese! That’s genious! Can I use it for the buchty filling too?
I, also, am a real Czech. My father was born in Fayetteville, Texas, in 1909. He has since passed but his mother’s family still lives somewhere around there. Her name was Mathilda Polansky. My understanding is that my family also had a band that played for dances every weekend.
I’ve decided to try to making Kolaches. That’s how I found this blog. What fun. All us old Czech’s still going strong.
Hi Patsy and good luck! And yes, Czechs are a relentless bread
)
Hi Tanja. We have our Czech Fest every year the first Sunday of October in Crosby TX. Each year we get fewer and fewer kolaches as the older members pass and the younger ones don’t learn to make them. I am going to try this recipe and maybe I’ll be able to contribute next year. Thanks!!
Terri – that sounds like a wonderful idea! Someone has to keep the kolache torch going
Hey Tanja. Your kolache recipe sounds great! I’ve been looking for a good recipe for a while; it’s so hard to find any decent kolaches where I’m from. I’m part Czech so I feel it’s time to start baking my heritage’s food.
My grandmother has made these since I was little. She also makes one with an apricot filling. I’m glad I finally found a recipe that resembles hers! Thanks!
Hi Jamie and no problem! They are lot of work so good luck
These sound great. As other people have stated the kolache is a big hit at our family reunions here in Iowa. Some of the ones that used to make these have either passed away or are getting too old to bake anymore. I have been bringing a dish that my dad used to make and has been a big hit. The casserole he called kapusta is made with pork, cabbage, onion, tomatoes, and caraway seed.
I may try to make kolaches next year along with the kapusta!
Hi R Vratny! That cassarole sounds yummy! Do you mind posting this recipe here? We would be so grateful!
KAPUSTA
2 – heads cabbage, cut into 1” pieces
2 – large cans diced tomatoes
2 – large red onions, cut up
Salt and pepper
4 – lbs. pork steak, cut up into 1/2″ pieces
2 – T caraway seed
6 – T. Crisco
Cut cabbage into one inch pieces, add tomatoes and toss. Fry onion in Crisco until slightly browned. Add onion to cabbage mixture and toss. Place pork steak in remaining Crisco and brown, the cut into ½ inch pieces. Add 1 ½ tablespoon caraway seed to cabbage mixture and mix. Put cabbage mixture and browned pork steak in large roaster. Add remaining caraway seed to top. Put in 350° oven for 40 minutes. Remove and stir. Bake an additional 35 minutes. Remove and stir. Bake an additional 35 minutes.
Yummy! Thanks so much!
When I made them the dough began to dry out towards the end. Is there a way to prevent this? It was only the second time in my life making kolaches!!
You mean when it the dough was rising? If that’s the case you have to cover the bowl with the rising dough with a piece of dishcloth.
Oh my gosh, I am so excited to find this authentic recipe. I’m originally from Nebraska and my grandmother and I used to make kolaches when I was little but no one seems to have the recipe she used. She’s been gone for 30+ years but I still remember “helping” her and getting full of flour yet she never got mad. She would let us make little pie crusts with the leftover dough and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on them and bake them. Mmm.. I haven’t made kolaches for years but wanted to start again with my daughters. My favorites were poppy seed, cherry and apricot. Dad and grandpa loved the prune ones! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thank you very much for posting this recipe!
I will try it out tomorrow but I would like to know what type of flour you use? Is it all purpose or bread flour?
I grew up in Michigan and kolaches were always a treat from our local bakery where I have many fond memories.
Best regards
Tom
Hi Tom, I would use all-purpose flour.Good luck!
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