Fruit Kolaches
Beautifully fluffy sweet Fruit Kolaches are filled with thick berry jams, topped with a creamy layer of cream cheese, and sprinkled with a buttery crumb topping. These classic Czech pastries are a fun treat and popular throughout the state of Texas. Serve these sweet treats for Easter, Mother's Day, brunch, and more!
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole milk warmed to 100-110℉
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3½ cups bread flour
- ¾ cup fruit jam
Cream Cheese Topping
Egg Wash*
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cover and let this sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy on the top. (If you do not own a stand mixer, you can do this in a large mixing bowl and in the next step, mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon.)¾ cup whole milk, 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- Add the remaining sugar, melted butter, eggs, salt, and bread flour. With a dough hook mix on low speed for 2-3 minutes, pausing to scrape down the sides as needed to get all the flour mixed in. Then mix on low speed for another 2-3 minutes until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Dough should be soft and a little sticky, but it should come away fairly cleanly from the bowl.⅓ cup granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 large eggs, ½ teaspoon salt, 3½ cups bread flour
- First Rise: Lightly sprinkle no more than 1 tablespoon of flour on a clean working surface. Place the dough on the counter and gently form into a ball. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough ball in the prepared bowl, spinning to coat the dough with the oil. Cover and place in a warm place to rise for 1.5-2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Prepare a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. You can also bake these on a large half sheet baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Shaping: Punch down the dough to release air, and remove the dough to a clean lightly floured surface. Press the dough out into a rectangle shape and divide the dough evenly into 12 portions. Shape each piece into a smooth ball by stretching out the top while pinching the bottom. Place the formed dough into the prepared baking dish.
- 2nd Rise: Cover the baking dish with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise until the rolls are puffy, approximately 45 minutes.
- Prepare Toppings: While the rolls are in their second rise, prepare the toppings by combining the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract with a pinch of salt. Mix until this is smooth and silky. A hand mixer is helpful for this step.4 ounces cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 large egg yolk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat to 375℉/190℃.
- Fill the Kolaches: Gently press down the center of each kolache roll using a rounded measuring cup, or small shot glass. This may need to be twice if the rolls rise back up after being pressed down. Gently brush the tops of the kolaches with egg wash. Spoon in the jam, don't heap it to overflowing. Then top with a spoonful of the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle the crumble over the tops.
- Bake the Kolaches: Bake for 20-23 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top, rotating the pan halfway if needed for even baking. If you notice the tops browning too much, tent a sheet of aluminum foil over the top. To check that the rolls are fully baked, use an instant read thermometer, the internal temperature should be 190℉ (88℃)
- Allow the kolaches to cool for several minutes before serving. Store any leftover rolls in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 4-7 days.
Notes
- Special Equipment (affiliate links) - 9x13 baking dish | Stand Mixer | Glass Mixing Bowl | Bench Scraper | Kitchen Scale | Pastry Brush |
- Overnight Instructions: Prepare the rolls with the filling as directed, then cover the pan tightly and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, keep them covered and let them sit at room temperature for about 1 hour before baking.
- Freezing Instructions:Kolaches freeze well, either baked or unbaked. For baked rolls, cool completely, wrap individually in parchment, and store in a freezer-safe bag for 2–3 months. Reheat by thawing at room temperature, warming in a 300°F oven for 10–15 minutes, or microwaving 20–30 seconds. To freeze dough, shape the rolls after the first rise but before filling, cover tightly, and freeze. When ready, thaw overnight in the fridge, let sit 30–60 minutes at room temperature to rise, then fill and bake as usual.
- Baking Pan: I prefer baking the rolls in the baking dish because I find them to take on the shape and style of the kolaches I would get from the bakeries in Texas. But they can be baked on a large baking sheet giving more space between them and letting them bake up nice and round.
- Flour: You can use bread flour or all purpose flour for this recipe. Bread flour does produce slightly softer and more tender kolaches, but all purpose flour is more convenient for most at home bakers. Either flour is fine and no other changes are needed to the recipe depending on which one you use.
- Yeast: The recipe calls for active dry yeast which requires activation with warm liquid and sugars. You can use a 1:1 substitution of instant yeast instead and skip the activation step. Add the yeast directly with the other ingredients for the dough. Rise times can be shorter when using instant yeast.
- Egg Wash: The egg wash is typically done with egg yolk mixed with water. This recipe does use an egg yolk already for the cream cheese topping. To reduce waste and leftovers you can use the egg white to make an egg wash, simply add some heavy cream to it to add fats and sugars to still get a nice browning to the dough while baking.
It is recommended to use weight measurements for this recipe.