Traditional Czech kolache (koláče in Czech) are sweet pastries originating in Central Europe, specifically in the Czech Republic. These round, soft pastries are typically made with a rich, yeast-based dough that is slightly sweet and buttery, giving them a tender and airy texture.
Kolache are filled with a variety of sweet fillings, such as:
- Fruit Fillings: Commonly plum, apricot, cherry, or blueberry.
- Poppy Seed Filling: Gound poppy seeds mixed with sugar and milk.
- Cheese Filling: Made from a sweetened farmer’s cheese or cream cheese, often flavored with vanilla and lemon zest.
- Nut Filling: Typically made from ground walnuts or almonds mixed with sugar and butter.
Today we’re using blueberries, sour cherries, and peaches. This makes for not only a delicious pastry but also a lovely and vibrant dessert plate.
Things to note:
- Dough indent: It doesn’t have to be perfect. You’ll note the glass I used didn’t create the exact indent I would have liked the first time I used it on the dough, so I did it again closer to filling. If yours works well the first time, that’s great! If you need to indent your dough a couple more times, that is OK too.
- Crumbles: The crumbles are sticky, so they’ll take a bit of working through your fingers.
- The devil is in the details: Be sure to let the dough rise properly, coat with oil, and don’t forget the egg wash. All of these things will make a difference in how your Kolache comes out.
- Parchment paper: Clean-up is never fun but this makes it easy as can be. My go-to parchment paper can be found here.
Kolache is commonly enjoyed during holidays, festivals, and family gatherings so what better time to put them on the blog? Be sure to follow along in the video if you have any questions along the way.
Get your preferred fruits ready and let’s bake Kolache!
PrintKolaches with Cheese and Fruits – Czech Recipe
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1.5 cups milk (375ml)
- 1/2 cup sugar (100g) + a pinch for yeast
- 1/2 cup oil (125ml) + 2 teaspoons for coating
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 6 cups bread flour sifted (750g)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cheese filling
- 8 oz (226g) Philadelphia cream cheese
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Egg wash
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon of water
Crumble
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted melted butter
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 3–4 tablespoons of flour
Toppings
- Blueberries
- Cherries
- Sliced peaches
- You can use any fruit of your choice
Instructions
- Mix the yeast with a pinch of sugar in 1/2 a cup of warm milk (110F), and leave to bubble.
- Put the remaining 1 cup of warm milk in your mixing bowl.
- Add the yeast mixture, sugar, oil, and eggs into the mixing bowl.
- Mix in about 1.5 cups out of 6 cups (750g) of your sifted flour.
- Add the salt. Then, add the remainder of the flour while mixing on low speed.
- Once dough forms, transfer it onto a floured surface and form a ball.
- Grease a bowl with 2 teaspoons of oil and put the dough in your bowl. Turn it over a few times to fully coat the dough.
- Cover and let rise for 1.5 to 2 hours, until double in size.
- Once ready, form a long cylinder with your dough by folding it into the shape. Divide the dough into 15 individual pieces and form balls of each (see video for visual).
- Line the dough balls onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper.
- Use a small glass to make an indentation on each ball of dough. This is for your cheese mixture and fruits.
- Cover and leave to rise for 1 hour. Once risen, repeat pressing pastries with your glass to fully make an indentation.
- Make your egg wash by mixing 1 egg yolk with 1 teaspoon of water. Brush the pastries.
- Make your cream cheese mixture by combining the cream cheese with the egg, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest.
- Fill each pastry center with the cream cheese mixture.
- Cover with your choice of fruits. I used blueberries, sliced peaches, and cherries.
- Prepare a crumble by mixing the unsalted melted butter, sugar, and flour and mash together.
- Sprinkle the crumbles over your pastries with your fingers.
- Bake at 375F (190C) for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
For a more traditional pastry with similar ingredients and taste, try my Blueberry Strudel with Homemade Cream Cheese.
