Classic Czechoslovak kolache pastry with poppy seed filling. Minnesota style, the pastry is folded in on itself.
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
My father gets an enraptured look in his eyes when he remembers his Czech grandmother’s poppy seed buns from Minnesota.
Dad loves poppy seed filling, and armed with an old Better Homes and Gardens recipe, he set out to recreate the kolaches of his childhood.
I think he was successful (having quadrupled the filling-to-dough ratio in the recipe) so much that the day after making it and eating it, he announced he’d gained 2 pounds, prompting him to spend two whole days to give up dessert for a long time. (Please God, could I have my father’s metabolism in my next life?)
My dad makes these kolaches with canned poppy seed filling. If you wish, you can make the filling from scratch; I have attached a filling recipe that I found online.
poppy Kolache
ingredients
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4 to 4 1/2 cups all purpose flourdivided
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1 package dry yeast
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1/2 teaspoon ground mace or ground nutmeg
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1 Cup milk
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1/2 Cup butter
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1/4 Cup granulated sugar
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1 teaspoon Salt
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2 eggs
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 teaspoon Lemon peel
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cans Poppy Filling (or make your own*)
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raisinsOptional
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1 egg
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1 tablespoon milk
Filling ingredients (if you want to make your own filling, you can otherwise use canned ones)
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1 Cup Poppy
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1/2 Cup milk
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1/4 Cup honey
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1/3 Cup chopped Events
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1/3 Cup chopped nuts
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hyphen Cinammon
method
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In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, and nutmeg or mace:
Put aside.
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make dough:
In a medium saucepan, heat and stir the 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup butter, caster sugar, and salt until warm (120°F to 130°F) and the butter is almost melted.
Add the milk mixture to the dry mixture along with the two eggs and vanilla extract. Using an electric mixer, beat on low-medium speed for 30 seconds, constantly scraping the side of the bowl. Beat at high speed for 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest and as much of the remaining flour as possible.
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Knead the dough and let it rise:
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead enough of the remaining flour to form a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes total). Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease the surface. Cover; Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 to 1-1/2 hours).
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Prepare filling:
If you are making the poppy seed filling from scratch, mix the filling ingredients together in a saucepan. Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Set the filling aside to cool.
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Beat dough down. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface:
Halve the dough. Cover; Leave to rest for 10 minutes. Grease 2 baking sheets.
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Roll out the dough, cut into squares:
Roll each dough half into a 16×8 inch rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Cut each rectangle into 8 4×4 squares.
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Add filling, fold corners of dough and press:
Place a large, heaping tablespoon of poppy seed filling in the center of each square. If you like, add a few raisins on top of the filling. Brush the four corners of each square with water. Pull the corners up and gently pinch. Fix with a toothpick.
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Second climb:
Place on well-greased baking sheets 2cm apart. Cover; Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size (about 35 minutes).
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Brush with egg yolk:
Brush with an egg wash consisting of one egg beaten with a tablespoon of milk.
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Bake:
Bake in a 375°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
transfer to gratings; cool down completely. Remove toothpick.
From a recipe in Better Homes and Gardens, 1997.
Links:
Lisa Fains Kolaches from the Homesick Texan
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 261 | calories |
| 9g | Fat |
| 39g | carbohydrates |
| 7g | protein |
