Kolaches

This is a scaled down version of my great-grandmother's kolache recipe! To make about 15 kolaches you will need:

Dough:

• 2/3 cup MILK, warm
• 3 Tbs SUGAR
• 3/4 tsp SALT
• 1 tsp LEMON JUICE
• 2 tsp ACTIVE DRY YEAST (if it is easier you could use a packet of yeast which is 2 & 1/4 tsp)
• 1 EGGS
• 2 Tbs VEGETABLE SHORTENING
• 4 Tbs BUTTER
• 2 & 1/3 cup FLOUR, sifted

Fillings: (You only need one of the following, but feel free to mix and match!)

• 1 can CHERRY PIE FILLING (or other pie filling that you find delicious)
• 1 (8 oz.) block CREAM CHEESE + 1/2 cup POWDERED SUGAR
• 1 cup PRUNES heated & mashed in a bit of water + SUGAR & LEMON JUICE to taste
• 1 cup APRICOTS heated & mashed in a bit of water + SUGAR & LEMON JUICE to taste
• 1/2 cup POPPY SEED FILLING + 1/2 cup APPLE SAUCE

Crumble

• 2 Tbs BUTTER
• 3 Tbs FLOUR
• 3 Tbs SUGAR

Soak the dry yeast in the bowl of a KitchenAid mixer with the lukewarm milk for 5 minutes.  

After the 5 minutes, use the paddle attachment to mix in the sugar, salt, and lemon juice. Then mix in the egg, softened shortening, and 1 tablespoon of butter.

Add half of the sifted flour to the bowl and mix it into the dough. Then mix in the rest of the flour. Scrape the dough off of the sides of the bowl and form it into a sort of ball in the bottom of the bowl.  

Use the dough hook attachment to kneed the dough until it forms into a smooth ball and is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl (it will still be slightly sticky to the touch though). This should only take a few minutes. 

Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth. 

Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size. Once the dough has doubled, punch it down and then let it rise until it has doubled again.

While the dough is rising, grease a 9 x13 inch pan with some of the remaining butter. 

Shape the dough into golf ball sized balls and then roll each of them in melted butter that was left over from greasing the pan. You should get around 15 balls. I lay them into the pan 3 along the shorter side and 5 along the longer side. (I forgot to take a picture, so this is extra from a larger batch I made awhile ago.) 

Let the balls rise for 30 to 40 minutes or until they have doubled in size. Don't get impatient now! Let the ball rise enough that they are touching and look like they are starting to merge together.

Using your thumb, make depressions in the center of the balls and add a few teaspoons of filling.  Let the balls rise for at least another hour. This is one of the more important rises. You want the dough to get nice and puffy again where the edges of the dough are starting to rise up above the level of the filling. If you don't let them rise enough the dough will taste dense and biscuit-like instead of light and fluffy!

See how much they rose!

 

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then top with the crumble mixture. Bake another 5-10 minutes or until the dough is golden brown and cooked through. If they start getting too dark on top, cover the pan with some aluminum foil. 

Look at all those delicious kolaches!

So fluffy!

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Kolaches

Ingredients:

To make about 15 kolaches you will need:

Dough:

• 2/3 cup MILK, warm
• 3 Tbs SUGAR
• 3/4 tsp SALT
• 1 tsp LEMON JUICE
• 2 tsp ACTIVE DRY YEAST (if it is easier you could use a packet of yeast which is 2 & 1/4 tsp)
• 1 EGGS
• 2 Tbs VEGETABLE SHORTENING
• 4 Tbs BUTTER
• 2 & 1/3 cup FLOUR, sifted

Fillings (You only need one of the following, but feel free to mix and match!):

• 1 can CHERRY PIE FILLING (or other pie filling that you find delicious)
• 1 (8 oz.) block CREAM CHEESE + 1/2 cup POWDERED SUGAR
• 1 cup PRUNES heated & mashed in a bit of water + SUGAR & LEMON JUICE to taste
• 1 cup APRICOTS heated & mashed in a bit of water + SUGAR & LEMON JUICE to taste
• 1/2 cup POPPY SEED FILLING + 1/2 cup APPLE SAUCE

Crumble

• 2 Tbs BUTTER
• 3 Tbs FLOUR
• 3 Tbs SUGAR

Directions:

1. Soak the dry yeast in the bowl of a KitchenAid mixer with the lukewarm milk for 5 minutes.  
2. After the 5 minutes, use the paddle attachment to mix in the sugar, salt, and lemon juice. Then mix in the egg, softened shortening, and 1 tablespoon of butter. 
   Add half of the sifted flour to the bowl and mix it into the dough. Then mix in the rest of the flour. Scrape the dough off of the sides of the bowl and form it into a sort of ball in the bottom of the bowl.  
3. Use the dough hook attachment to kneed the dough until it forms into a smooth ball and is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl (it will still be slightly sticky to the touch though). This should only take a few minutes. 
4. Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size. Once the dough has doubled, punch it down and then let it rise until it has doubled again.
5. While the dough is rising, grease a 9 x13 inch pan with some of the remaining butter. 
6. Shape the dough into golf ball sized balls and then roll each of them in melted butter that was left over from greasing the pan. (You should get around 15 balls. I lay them into the pan 3 along the shorter side and 5 along the longer side.) 
7. Let the balls rise for 30 to 40 minutes or until they have doubled in size. Don't get impatient now! Let the ball rise enough that they are touching and look like they are starting to merge together.
8. Using your thumb, make depressions in the center of the balls and add a few teaspoons of filling.  Let the balls rise for at least another hour. This is one of the more important rises. You want the dough to get nice and puffy again where the edges of the dough are starting to rise up above the level of the filling. If you don't let them rise enough the dough will taste dense and biscuit-like instead of light and fluffy!
9. While the dough is rising mix together the ingredients for crumble and then set aside.
10. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then top with the crumble mixture. Bake another 5-10 minutes or until the dough is golden brown and cooked through. 

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