Prep Time
90 Minutes
Cook Time
10 Minutes
Difficulty Level
Advanced
I grew up in Houston, Texas; the dining-out capital of the United States.
Houstonians love great food, and you can get practically any food your heart desires, cooked to perfection.
One such food is the kolache, Texas style that is. These little pastries (pronounced ko-LAH-chee) are so popular that you can find a kolache shop every few blocks.
People eat them for breakfast and lunch, and they are more popular than doughnuts. As a matter of fact, they sell kolaches in doughnut shops.
When I moved away from Houston, I was horrified to discover that most people in the rest of the country had never even heard of a kolache, and there were no kolache shops to be found in any of the other seven states that I have lived. This led me on a quest to learn how to make my own. No self-respecting Houstonian could live without these delightful pastries.
Kolaches are not originally Texan; they came from the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Czech Republic), and immigrants brought them to the US.
The Texas style kolache is very different from the Czech pastry though. Texans have a long tradition of taking foods from around the world and making their own (better) version. The original kolache is sort of like a danish with a sweet poppy seed topping.
The Texas style kolache is a slightly sweet, heavy pastry stuffed with various meats and cheeses.
You can use the same dough to make an open face fruit or cream cheese kolache too. They are really good fresh from the oven and just as good the next day after a few seconds in the microwave.
Technically, a serving size is just two kolaches, but I have never been able to limit myself to just two in one setting. I recommend making a double or triple batch if you plan to serve family or friends.
Note: Preparation time: 30 minutes + 1 hour in the bread machine.
Equipment Used:
Fox Run Marble Cheese Slicer Norpro Stainless Steel Jelly Roll Baking Pan
Calories count: 285
Nutrition Facts
24 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 285.0
Total Fat 14.1 g
Saturated Fat 7.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.9 g
Cholesterol 66.7 mg
Sodium 449.7 mg
Potassium 72.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate 22.7 g
Dietary Fiber 2.5 g
Sugars 6.8 g
Protein 13.9 g
Vitamin A 7.3 %
Vitamin B-12 2.0 %
Vitamin B-6 1.0 %
Vitamin D 1.5 %
Vitamin E 0.7 %
Calcium 16.2 %
Copper 1.7 %
Folate 9.1 %
Iron 8.3 %
Magnesium 1.4 %
Manganese 6.3 %
Niacin 5.4 %
Pantothenic Acid 2.0 %
Phosphorus 4.0 %
Riboflavin 8.0 %
Selenium 11.9 %
Thiamin 10.1 %
Zinc 1.6 %
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Ingredients
Dough:
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups bread flour
½ cup ground flax seed
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup warm milk
2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast (or one packet)
Filling:
24 oz deli sliced ham (48 slices)
16 oz medium cheddar (cut into 48 small cubes, about 1/2 inch square)
Instructions
1. I make the dough in a bread machine, but you can make it by hand in the typical way you would make any yeast bread.
2. Add the sugar, salt, flax seed and flour to the bread machine pan (in that order).
3. Then make a well in the flour.
4. Pour the eggs, butter, and milk in the well and add the yeast on top.
5. Set your bread machine to the dough setting and press start.
6. After a few minutes, you will want to check to make sure the dry ingredients along the bottom edges in getting mixed in. If not, just push it around a bit with a wooden spoon.
7. After about an hour, when the dough cycle is complete, punch down the dough and remove the pan from the machine.
8. Your dough should be a little sticky.
9. Pull off about two tablespoons at a time and roll into balls and place on wax paper.
10. Wrap each piece of cheese with one slice of ham.
11. Take a dough ball and push a dent into the center with your thumb, place the ham/cheese in the dent and pull the sides of the dough up to wrap completely around your filling.
12. The tricky part is getting the dough completely sealed so that the melting cheese does not leak out while the kolaches are baking.
13. I take the edges of the dough and twist as I pinch it together.
14. The stretching of the dough while pinching it helps activate the gluten to bond the dough better.
15. You want to make sure there are no holes or seams in your dough.
16. Place the finished dough on an un-greased baking sheet, and then preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
17. Let the dough rise for about 20 minutes, and then place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 9 to 12 minutes.
18. You can glaze with butter or serve them as they are.
Servings : 24
Course : Snack
Recipe Type : Breakfast, Lunch
