Czech Kolaches With Filled Poppy Seed Creamy Peach Or Prune Recipes

Steps:

• FOR THE PASTRY: In a small bowl, combine the yeast with the lukewarm water. Set the bowl aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and 1/4 cup sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Mix in the egg yolks, milk, and salt, combining well. Stir in the dissolved yeast and the flour, and mix until the ingredients are thoroughly blended into a soft dough. Cover the dough with a towel, and set the dough aside to rise to about double in size, approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• While the dough rises, choose and prepare one of the three fillings.
• Grease a baking sheet. Pinch off pieces of dough about one and a half times the size of a golf ball, flatten the balls slightly, and transfer them to the baking sheet. Place the balls at least 1 inch apart, and brush them liberally with the melted butter. Set them aside to double in size again, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• With your thumb, gently indent the top of the dough. Make the holes especially deep if you plan to use the poppyseed or creamy peach filling. Spoon in a couple of teaspoons of filling, and, with the poppyseed or creamy peach versions, coax the dough over the filling. Let the kolaches rest again for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F Bake the kolaches for 10 to 12 minutes, until they are golden brown.
• Remove the pan from the oven immediately brush the kolaches with more butter, and sprinkle them with the remaining sugar. Transfer them to a rack, and let them cool.
• The kolaches should be tender somewhat like a light butter Danish. They're best eaten the day they're made. Makes 3 dozen.
• FOR THE CREAMY PEACH FILLING: Drain the cottage cheese in a sieve or cheesecloth for 30 to 45 minutes. Squeeze any accumulated liquid from the cheese. Mix the cheese with the remaining ingredients in a bowl.
• FOR THE PRUNE FILLING: Put the prunes into a saucepan, and cover them with water. Add the vanilla, and simmer until the prunes have softened, about 15 minutes. Drain and pit the prunes, and chop them in a food processor with the sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Or chop the prunes by hand, and then add the sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
• FOR THE POPPYSEED FILLING: To make the poppyseed filling, stir together the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Set the bowl aside.
• Grind the poppyseeds in a blender with about half the milk. Place the poppyseed mixture and the remaining milk in a large, heavy saucepan, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and stir in the reserved sugar and cornstarch mixture and the almond extract. Simmer, stirring often, until very thick-a matter of a few minutes.
• NOTE: Some kolache recipes call for "proofing" the yeast in milk, but the fat in milk can actually hinder the yeast's development. It's best to "proof" the yeast in water first and then to add milk later for tenderness.
• You can make kolaches with sausage or almost any type of cooked fruit filling. Don't use jelly, though, because it's too runny. The fruit needs to be cooked to fruit butter consistency.
• Make the center depressions carefully so the bread doesn't go flat.
• Enclose cheese based fillings, like the creamy peach, and poppyseed fillings totally with dough. Stiffer fillings like prune can peer out the top.
• Don't skimp on the amount of butter brushed on the dough.
• Texas Home Cooking.

Steps:

• 1. Warm 1 cup cream or milk in a pyrex measuring cup in the microwave for 40 seconds to where it is not too warm to touch and add 1 package active dry yeast and 6 tablespoons sugar and half cup canola oil or butter.
• 2. In a large mixing bowl add 4 cups unbleached wheat pastry flour, 6 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 large eggs, the mixture of 1 cup warm cream, half cup canola oil, & package of active dry yeast. Mix together and knead into dough ball. Let rise for 3 hours.
• 3. Make fruit filling or poppy seed filling by adding 1 cup fruit, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, & 1 teaspoon pure vanilla to double boiler.
• 4. For cream cheese filling; add 1 package cream cheese, honey or light agave nectar, & 1 teaspoon of vanilla, & blend in pyrex high speed blender until smooth.
• 5. Make egg wash by beating 1 large egg & 1 teaspoon of water and add to dough ball after letting rise 3 hours and knead into dough ball.
• 6. Cut parchment paper to fit aluminum baking pan or sheet. Make kolache by making 12 rolls of dough with indentation in the middle. Add a teaspoon full of filling to center of each roll.
• 7. Make egg wash by beating 1 egg with 1 teaspoon water and cover the filled rolls with egg with your fingers.
• 8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake 20-25 minutes until the rolls are golden brown.
• 9. If there is egg left over; make an omelet by microwaving on 50% power for 1 minute 15 seconds in shallow dish.