Ingredients: |
Ingredients: Dough 1 package active dry yeast (¼-ounce/2¼ teaspoons), 1¾ teaspoons instant yeast, or 1 cake fresh yeast (0.6-ounce/18 grams) 1 cup warm milk (105 to 115°F for dry yeast; 80 to 85°F for fresh yeast) 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, or ¼ cup butter and ¼ cup shortening (1 stick/4 ounces/120 grams) 2 large eggs (6 tablespoons/3.5 ounces) 6 tbsp granulated sugar (3 ounces) 1 tsp table salt 1 tsp grated lemon zest and/or ½ teaspoon ground mace or nutmeg (optional) 4 cups unbleached all-purpose or bread flour (17 ounces) Egg Wash 1 large egg (beaten) 1 tsp cream, milk, or water
Cheese Topping 16 oz farmer cheese or cream cheese, softened (OR 10 ounces farmer cheese and 6 ounces softened cream cheese) 1/2 cup granulated sugar or more to taste (3.5 ounces) 2 large egg yolks 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (optional) 1 tsp vanilla extract (OR 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, or ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg)
Poppy Seed Topping 2 cups poppy seeds 1 cup milk or water (8.5 ounces/240 grams) 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (10.5 ounces/300 grams) 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice or 3 tablespoons unsalted butter Pinch salt 1 tsp grated lemon zest (optional)
Prune Topping 1 lb pitted prunes, or 8 ounces pitted prunes and 8 dried pitted cherries (455 grams/about 36 medium/3 cups) 2 cups water (17 ounces/485 grams) 1/2 cup granulated sugar (3.5 ounces/100 grams) 1 tbsp lemon juice or prune juice 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp ground cloves (optional)
Apricot Topping 2 cups dried apricots (12 ounces/340 grams) 1 cup orange juice (or 1 cup water and 1 tablespoon lemon juice) (8.5 ounces/240 grams) 1/2 cup granulated sugar, light brown sugar, or honey (3.5 ounces/100 grams) 1-2 tbsp lemon juice or dark rum
Blueberry Topping 1/3 cup granulated sugar (80 mL) 3 tbsp cornstarch (45 mL) Pinch salt Pinch ground cinnamon (optional) 2 cups blueberries (about 10 ounces/285 grams) 2 tbsp lemon juice (30 mL)
Cherry Filling 1/2 cup granulated sugar (3.5 ounces/100 grams/120 ml) 1/4 cup cornstarch (1.25 ounces/35 grams) 1 1/4 cups reserved cherry juice (300 mL) 28 oz pitted sour cherries (800 grams/4 cups)
Posipka (optional) 1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces/200 grams) 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (2.125 ounces/60 grams) 1-1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional) 1/4 cup butter, melted (½ stick/2 ounces/60 grams)
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Directions: |
Directions:In a small bowl or measuring cup, dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup milk. If using instant yeast, do not dissolve it yet-- reserve..
In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the remaining milk, butter, eggs, sugar, salt, and, if using, zest and/or mace. Blend in 1½ cups flour. If using instant yeast, add it now. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to make a workable dough. On a lightly floured surface or in a mixer with a dough hook, knead the dough until smooth and springy, about 5 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a kitchen towel or loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in bulk, 2 to 3 hours, or in the refrigerator overnight. Punch down the dough, knead briefly, cover, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in bulk, about 1¼ hours.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease the sheet. Punch down the dough, knead briefly, divide in half, form into balls, and let stand for 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough ½ inch thick. Cut into 2½-inch rounds. Reroll and cut out the scraps. Place on parchment paper-lined or greased baking sheets about 1 inch apart, cover with a towel or plastic wrap spritzed with cooking spray, and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F (350°F for a convection oven). Using your thumb or the back of a spoon, press 1 large or 2 smaller deep indentations into the center of each round, leaving a ½-inch wide-rim. Brush the edges with the egg wash. Spoon about 1 tablespoon topping into the indentation and, if using, sprinkle lightly with the posipka. Bake until golden brown or the center of the dough registers about 180°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
Kolache are best eaten on the same day they are made, but can be covered with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days on in freezer for up to 3 months.
To Make Prune Topping In a bowl or large bottle, pour the water over the prunes and let stand at room temperature for several hours or overnight. In a large saucepan, simmer the prunes and water until very tender, about 30 minutes. Drain, reserving ¼ cup of the cooking liquid. To the hot prunes, add the sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and optional cloves and mash until smooth. Stir in the reserved cooking liquid. Let cool. The topping can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To Make Apricot Topping In a medium saucepan, simmer the apricots and orange juice over medium heat until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain. In a food processor, puree the apricots with the sugar and lemon juice until smooth. The topping can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To Make Blueberry Topping In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and, if using, cinnamon. Add the blueberries and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened (about 10 minutes). Let cool. (Filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
To Make Cherry Topping In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the juice. Cook, stirring, over medium heat, until the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the cherries. Let cool. (Filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
To Make Posipka (optional) In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, and optional cinnamon. Using a fork or your fingers, stir in the butter to make fine crumbs.
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Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: Grandma would make these square (not round) and would fold the four corners over the filling.
History: Round breads are some of the earliest of ritual foods, variously symbolizing the sun, moon, and female. In this vein, the Slavonic word for wheel (kolo) gave its name to an ancient Eastern and Central European ritual round savory bread loaf. Then, around the 15th century with the arrival in Eastern Europe of yeast breads enriched with butter, eggs, and sugar (the first light cakes in the region), the name kolo was applied to round sweetened yeast loaves enjoyed for celebrations from the Balkans to the Baltic Sea, including the Polish kolacz (pronounced kowatch), Russian kulich, Ukrainian kolač, Serbo-Croatian kolač, Hungarian kalacs, and Yiddish koyletch (an early synonym for egg challah, considered a cake by Sephardic Jews). Distinct from the unadorned yeast cakes of Eastern Europe (or those additionally flavored with raisins), varieties from Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovenia were paired with povidla (plum butter made from cooking down Italian plums without the addition of sweeteners). Some speculate that originally people simply spread the beloved povidla on chunks of baked sweet bread to enhance the gastronomic experience. Then around the 18th century bakers began making indentations in the dough rounds before baking and filling them with povidla, resulting in a sort of a massive ‘prune Czech’ (instead of Danish). The radiating pockets of topping actually looks more like a wheel. Related to kolache are Czech buchty (buchta singular), a bun with the sweet mixture enclosed inside. The rich dough is also wrapped around a large sausage (klobasnek).
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