Kolace Recipes

Steps:

• Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Remove from heat immediately. Stir sugar, salt, and 1/4 cup butter into the milk and stir until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
• Combine warm water and yeast in the large bowl of a stand mixer and stir until dissolved. Stir in cooled milk mixture, eggs, and 2 cups flour. Beat using the dough hook attachment until smooth. Add remaining flour, mixing as you go, just until dough is elastic and slightly stiff, but not dry.
• Turn dough out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and very elastic, 10 to 15 minutes. Coat dough lightly with butter or oil and place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let sit in a warm place to double in size, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, cut sausages in half and pat dry; this is important. Thinly slice Cheddar cheese block from the short end so that each slice of cheese is about the same length as the halved sausages.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a baking sheet.
• Turn risen dough out onto a very lightly floured board. Roll into a log, cut into 5 equal pieces, and cut each piece into quarters to make 20 equal-sized pieces of dough. Use the palm of your hand to flatten and press 1 piece into a circle or oval. Place the circle on the board and add 1 piece of Cheddar cheese topped with 1 dry halved sausage. Roll dough around fillings and very tightly pinch all seams together to seal. Smooth seams down and place kolache on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling to make 20 kolaches.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add flour slowly until well blended. Shape into a ball and chill overnight or for several hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Roll dough out 1/8 inch thick on a floured pastry board. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares and place about 1/2 teaspoon jam or preserves in the center. Overlap opposite corners and pinch together. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool on wire racks. Sprinkle kolacky lightly with confectioner's sugar.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm milk; let stand 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, remaining sugar, egg yolks, salt, butter and yeast/milk mixture. Mix until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough. , Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Add additional flour if necessary. Place dough in greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down and allow to rise again. Roll out on floured surface to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with large glass or 2-1/2-in. cutter. Place on greased baking sheets; let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. , Firmly press indentation in center and fill each roll with a heaping tablespoon of filling. Brush dough with egg white. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until rolls are light golden brown.

Steps:

• Scald milk and set aside to cool until lukewarm.
• Remove 1/2 cup of the cooled scalded milk to a small bowl, add 1 teaspoon of the sugar and stir in yeast. Let work for about 10 minutes.
• While yeast is working, beat the eggs, add sugar, then cream, oil, salt and the rest of the scalded milk.
• In large bowl have ready 6 1/2 cups flour. Make a well in the flour and add the dissolved yeast. Stir and then add in the beaten ingredients.
• Beat until smooth.
• Add 1/4 cup of flour at a time until you have a slightly sticky dough.
• Beat well with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes.
• Let dough rest 10 minutes and then stir well with wooden spoon again.
• Cover with a tea towel and let rise about 1 hour, until doubled in bulk.
• Stir down and cut off tablespoon size balls.
• Shape into balls and place on a greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
• Brush with melted shortening.
• Let rise until doubled.
• Make a depression in the middle of the ball with your thumb, and press outward to form an opening for the filling about the size of a 50 cent piece, pressing the bottom paper thin without tearing the dough.
• Add a teaspoon of filling to each kolace and smooth out to edge of opening. I use Solo brand poppy seed filling for most as that is our favorite and cherry pie filling for the rest.
• Let the filled kolace rise 15-20 minutes or they will look like a volcano erupting when baked.
• Bake at 425 for 8 minutes until lightly browned.
• Remove from pan with a spatula as you would cookies and cool on wire rack. Brush kolace with melted butter as soon as removed from oven to keep the dough soft.
• These freeze well once they are cooled--if they last that long.