Kolaches

Have you ever eaten at The Kolache Factory?  We used to be a frequent visitor when we lived in Indiana.   I haven't had one in years but ran across this recipe a few days ago.  It instantly brought back wonderful memories of these little buns filled with random goodness! While I won't say they are exactly the same as the real thing, they were still pretty amazing and addictive as well.  At the end of the meal it was hard to remember how many of these I devoured. 

They are a bit time consuming to make but I had a lot of fun with it. It was the perfect thing to make during our day of subzero temperatures. The filling combinations are endless. You can pretty much stuff them with whatever you like.  Here are the combos I made:

1. Pepperoni and Mozzarella Cheese 

2. Hotdogs (cut in half)

3. Sausage and Cheddar Cheese

4. Scrambled Eggs, Sweet Peppers, and Sausage

5. BBQ Chicken

The pepperoni ones turned out to be my favorite. I sprinkled some oregano on top right before baking them. They are pretty amazing if you serve them with a side of pizza sauce!

  

Some of them came out with too much bread and not enough filling.  At the time, I felt like I was putting a ton of filling inside; however once the bread was done rising and baking, the bread to filling ratio was off.  So make sure you roll the dough balls out thin and put LOTS of filling inside.

Here's a prime example of how my BBQ chicken and Egg kolaches had too much bread and not enough filling.  They were still good...just a lesson learned for next time!

   

What a great experiment. I always love trying new recipes! This recipe came from Homemade Mamas. If you do decide to make this recipe, check out her website for some great step by step pictures.

Kolaches
Source: Homemade Mamas

1 package of active dry yeast
1 c. warm milk
1/2 c. sugar
4 c.all-purpose flour 
2 eggs for dough
1/2 c. melted butter
1 t. of salt
1 egg for egg wash

This will make about 24 kolaches. I doubled the recipe so we'd have enough to eat for a couple days.

1. In a large bowl, combine yeast, warm milk (105-110 degrees), sugar and one cup of flour. Cover and let it rise until doubled in size.

2. In a small bowl beat the 2 eggs, slowly add the 1/2 cup of melted butter and salt.

3. Add egg mixture to yeast mixture and mix.

4. Mix in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. It is a really soft, sticky dough.

5. Knead dough for about 10 minutes on a well floured surface. (I used my kitchen aid mixer.) Place dough in a well greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size - about an hour.

6. While the dough is rising, get your fillings ready.

7. After dough has risen, punch it down and pull off egg-sized pieces. In your hands, roll pieces into balls and then flatten to about 4 inches in diameter. 

8. Spoon about 1 1/2 or 2 Tbls of filling.

9. Close dough around filling. Pinch it shut and place seam side down on greased cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 20 min. Preheat oven 375 degrees.

10. Beat the third egg. Before you bake the kolaches, brush with egg. If you are making a couple different flavors, you may want to mark them. For example, I sprinkled oregano on the pepperoni ones. 

11.Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. They will be lightly golden brown when they are done.