Traditional Czech Bohemian Kolache Pastries
These are very typical for South Bohemia but is also found in the wider surrounding areas. The dough is very versatile and can be made with all manner of fillings. The traditional one for festivals and special events is a poppy seed filling. The more common every day one is using blueberries as these are found growing wild abundantly in the local woods.
Servings 12 pastries
Ingredients
FOR THE KOLÁČE DOUGH:
- 1 kg plain flour.
- 150 g castor sugar.
- 150 g unsalted butter warmed and melted.
- 3-4 egg yolks.
- 40 g fresh live yeast or 2.5tsp instant yeast (added together with the flour).
- 500 ml milk.
- Lemon zest.
- 1 tsp salt.
- Fine breadcrumbs for the blueberry tray bake koláč.
FOR THE EGG WASH:
- 1-2 large eggs beaten.
FOR THE KOLÁČE CRUMBLE:
- 80 g butter.
- 80 g castor sugar.
- 100 g–140g plain flour.
FOR THE CURD FILLING:
- 250 g soft curd cheese if the curd is too dry, add a bit of milk or cream.
- 50 g–70g castor sugar.
- 1 egg yolk.
- Pinch of lemon zest.
- 1 whipped egg white.
- Optional extras: raisins cranberries, dark rum, vanilla.
FOR THE POPPY SEED FILLING:
- 250 g ground poppy seeds.
- 500 ml milk.
- 100 g castor sugar.
- 1 tsp cinnamon.
- A dash of dark rum.Optional extras: raisins finely chopped walnuts or hazelnuts, cocoa, ground clove, plum jam.
FURTHER FILLINGS:
- You can use whatever you have ready-made around such as fruit jams, for a really easy filling.
Instructions
- FOR THE DOUGH
- Crumble the yeast into a bowl with a glug of warm milk, stirring gently.
- Cover with a tea towel and leave somewhere warm for about 15 minutes.
- Once the yeast has begun to come alive, add the egg yolks, about half the flour, caster sugar, melted butter and a little more milk.
- Mix with a wooden spoon, then add the remaining flour until the mixture can be worked into a smooth dough.
- Pat it into a ball and leave for another hour to prove. Once it's doubled in size it is ready for its fillings.
FOR THE KOLÁČE CRUMBLE:
- Use good quality unsalted butter. Rub the ingredients together by hand until it achieves something like the consistency of grated Parmesan.
FOR THE CURD FILLING:
- Mix curd with the egg yolk, lemon zest and sugar until it has a smooth texture. Add any extra ingredients and, finally, add a whipped egg white, gently folding it in.
FOR THE POPPY SEED FILLING:
- Add the ground poppy seed mix to hot milk in a saucepan and simmer, but do not boil.
- When the mixture begins to thicken, add sugar and all the remaining ingredients.
- Leave to cool and use for filling.
Putting it all together
- Make a long sausage of dough and cut into small round balls.
- Using fingertips, press down on the dough until it forms a flat circle
- Add a heaped spoonful of the poppy seed filling to the centre. Fold the dough over to completely seal the filling in.
- Press the seam together and seal with a bit of water.
- Place the Kolace seam side down on the baking tray.
- Flatten the dough parcel and using scissors, make 4 cuts to create 5 "petals" in the dough as in the photo to create the rose shape.
- Brush egg wash on the pastries.
- Place a sliced almond on each petal and sprinkle over the crumble liberally.
- Bake in a hot oven (200°C) for about 20 minutes until brown and leave to cool.
