Kolache Recipe
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Soft, tender, and just sweet enough, these homemade kolaches are pillowy rounds of buttery yeast dough filled with blueberry, mixed berry, or a lemony sweet cheese. This kolache recipe looks like something from a Czech bakery, but your stand mixer does the kneading, and the fillings take minutes (the fruit one is three ingredients stirred together and microwaved). Bake them for a weekend breakfast, or make the dough the night before and pull warm pastries from the oven in the morning.
Sweet Czech-Style Kolaches (Not Klobasniky)
These are classic sweet kolaches (koh-LAH-chee): a rich yeast dough made with milk, butter, and egg yolks, pressed into a deep well and filled with fruit or sweetened cheese. They’re baked, not fried, and they’re tender and bread-like rather than flaky like a danish. If you’ve had kolaches from a Texas donut shop filled with sausage, those are klobasniky, their savory cousin. This recipe is all about the sweet ones.
Why You’ll Love These
Soft and tender every time. Give the dough its full rise and they turn out beautifully.
The fillings are so easy. The fruit filling cooks in the microwave, and the cheese filling mixes in one bowl.
Special without being fussy. They look bakery-made, but the recipe itself is simple.
Make-ahead friendly. Refrigerate the dough overnight, or shape and fill them the night before.
One dough, three fillings. Bake a mixed tray so everyone gets their favorite.
Ingredient Notes
What Goes Into Kolache Dough (and Why)
- Butter, and a lot of it. Ten tablespoons, melted. That’s what makes the dough rich and tender instead of plain bread, and it’s the flavor that carries both the fruit and the cheese.
- One whole egg plus two yolks. The extra yolks give the dough its richness and that pale golden color inside.
- Whole milk. It makes a softer, richer dough than water would. Don’t swap in skim.
- All-purpose flour, measured carefully. I use King Arthur, which weighs 4.25 ounces per cup. Other brands run a little different, so start with 3½ cups and add more only if the dough is too sticky to handle, up to 4 cups.
- White sugar, just ⅓ cup. Granulated sugar keeps the dough light in color, and ⅓ cup is enough. Kolaches should taste gently sweet so the filling stands out.
- Instant yeast. It goes straight in with the dry ingredients, so there’s no proofing step.
For the fillings
- Fruit filling: Just fruit, sugar, and cornstarch, microwaved until thick. Fresh or frozen both work. Blueberry was the winner in our house, with just the right sweetness and thickness. I also make a mixed berry version with raspberries and strawberries. Berries are my favorite fruit to bake with, like in my mixed berry pie with crumb topping.
- Sweet cheese filling: Cream cheese and ricotta with a little lemon zest. It’s rich and creamy, and if you love cheese danish, you’ll love these. I like it a touch sweeter than the recipe card amount, so taste it and add another tablespoon or two of sugar if you agree.
- Streusel: Optional, but a little flour, sugar, and cold butter rubbed together gives every kolache a sweet, crunchy edge.
How To Make Kolache
1. Mix and knead the dough. Stir the milk, melted butter, egg, and yolks together. It will look lumpy, and that’s fine. Add it to the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in your stand mixer, knead 2 minutes on low, then 8 to 12 minutes on medium, until the dough stops sticking to the sides of the bowl.
2. Let it rise. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or cover it and refrigerate overnight. If it’s been in the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes before shaping.
3. Make the fillings while you wait. For the fruit filling, stir the fruit, sugar, and cornstarch together and microwave, stirring halfway, until thick. For the cheese filling, mix everything but the ricotta for a minute, then mix in the ricotta. Rub the streusel together with your fingers. Refrigerate all three until needed.
4. Shape and give them a second rise. Divide the dough into 16 balls, arrange them on parchment-lined pans, cover, and let them rise for 1½ hours (up to 2 if the dough was cold) until visibly puffy and soft. Don’t skip this one!
5. Press, fill, and bake. Grease and flour the bottom of a ⅓-cup measure or a small glass and press a deep well into each ball, all the way down until it touches the pan. Add about 1½ tablespoons of filling, brush the tops with egg wash, and sprinkle the sides with streusel. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until still very pale, then cool for about 20 minutes and serve warm.
The Secret to Soft Kolaches: Don’t Rush the Rise
I’ve never had a batch of these come out anything but soft and tender, and I’m convinced the reason is simple: a complete rise, both times. The first rise is an hour in a warm spot (or overnight in the fridge). The second happens after you shape the balls, and that’s the one it’s tempting to cut short. Wait the full 1½ hours, or up to 2 if your dough came from the fridge or if it’s cool in your kitchen, until they look visibly puffy and soft. That’s what gives kolaches their pillowy texture!
- Keep the dough soft. Right after mixing it will be very soft and a little sticky. Start with 3½ cups of flour and add more, up to 4, only if it’s truly too sticky to handle.
- Press the wells deep. Press the cup all the way down until it touches the pan, so the filling stays put as the kolaches puff.
- Bake them pale. At 350°F, 20 to 25 minutes is plenty. You want them very lightly colored, not golden brown.
Storing and Making Kolaches Ahead
Kolaches are best warm from the oven, so if you want them fresh for breakfast, do the work the night before. You can refrigerate the dough overnight right after mixing, or go a step further and shape and fill the kolaches, cover the trays, and refrigerate them. In the morning, let them sit at room temperature for 1½ to 2 hours until puffy, then brush with egg wash, add the streusel, and bake.
How you store leftovers depends on the filling. Fruit-filled kolaches keep covered at room temperature for about 2 days, but cheese-filled ones belong in the fridge, for up to 4 days, because of the dairy. (If you want a fruit bake that actually gets better as it sits on the counter, my old-fashioned Jewish apple cake is the one.) Warm either kind for 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave or a few minutes in a 300°F oven. Baked kolaches also freeze well for up to 2 months.
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Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 cup (236.59 g) whole milk
- 10 tablespoons (147.87 g) butter , melted
- 1 large (1 large ) egg
- 2 large (2 large ) egg yolks
- 3.5 cups (437.5 g) all purpose flour (17.5 ounces)* (up to 4 cups)
- 1/3 cup (66.67 g) sugar (2.3 ounces)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon (1/2 teaspoon) salt
For the cheese filling:
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) cream cheese , softened
- 3 tablespoons (3 tablespoons) sugar**
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest grated
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) ricotta cheese (3/4 cup)
For the fruit filling
- 10 ounces (283.5 g) pineapple , blueberries, cherries, or other berries (fresh or frozen)
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
For the streusel topping:
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar plus 2 teaspoons
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces and chilled
For the egg wash
- 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
For the dough (makes 16 kolaches):
- Combine milk, butter and eggs together in measuring cup (will be lumpy)
- Combine dry ingredients (ie, flour, sugar, yeast, salt) in the bowl of a standing mixer then add milk mixture from step 1 and knead for 2 minutes on low speed
- Increase speed to medium and continue kneading for 8 to 12 minutes until dough no longer sticks to side of bowl
- Place dough in an oiled bowl and let rise in warm place for 1 hour or refrigerate overnight in a covered bowl
For the cheese filling (enough for 16):
- Combine all ingredients except for ricotta and mix well for about 1 minute. Add ricotta and mix for another 30 seconds. Cover and refrigerate until needed
For the streusel:
- Combine all ingredients and mix together with fingers. Cover and refrigerate until needed
For the fruit filling (enough for 16):
- Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and mix well. Microwave on high for about 6 to 8 minutes and stir halfway through cooking.
To assemble and bake
- If refrigerating the dough overnight: The next day, remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes. Then continue with the following steps.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Gently punch down the dough and then divide dough into 16 equal size portions and form balls.
- Arrange on prepared pans, cover with plastic, and allow to rest in a warm place for 1.5 hours. Please note that cold dough (if you refrigerated it) may need a longer second rise – up to 2 hours – until visibly puffy and soft.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease and flour the bottom of a 1/3 cup dry measure or a glass with a 2 1/4 inch diameter and use to make deep indents on top of each ball until bottom of measure touches baking sheet (see photo)
- Fill each indentation with about 1.5 tablespoons of filling (if you are making both cheese and fruit filling, you will need only half of each filling recipe)
- Brush tops of each pastry with egg wash, and then sprinkle sides with streusel
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (do not over bake – you want them very pale in color) and let cool for about 20 minutes.
- Serve warm
Notes
Storage
- Fruit-filled kolaches: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Cheese-filled kolaches: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days because of the dairy filling.
- To reheat: Let refrigerated kolaches come to room temperature or warm them in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds. You can also warm them in a 300°F oven for 5 to 8 minutes.
- To freeze: Wrap cooled kolaches individually or place them in a freezer-safe container with parchment between layers. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator (for cheese-filled) or at room temperature (for fruit-filled), then warm slightly before serving.
Make Ahead:
You can shape and fill the kolache the night before baking. Place them on parchment-lined trays, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, let them come to room temperature (about 1.5 to 2 hours), then brush with egg wash, sprinkle with streusel, and bake as directed. Perfect for fresh, warm pastries in the morning!Other Notes:
- I use King Arthur brand flour, which is 4.25 oz per cup. Other all purpose flour have slightly different weights. Start with 3.5 cups and add a bit more if too sticky
- I thought the cheese filling wasn’t sweet enough. Try the filling with the recommended sugar (3 tablespoons) but add another tablespoon or two to sweeten if needed.
- Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated.
- Nutrition facts below estimated for cheese filled kolache.
Wondering if anyone has tried using pie filling –mostly the fruit with just a little of the thickened sauce?
It was easy to make and prepare. The dough was very easy to work with. I started out with measuring the flour by weight but still ended up adding about 1/4 cup more. We also enjoyed the batch better that baked longer; about 30 minutes; they browned more than recipe called for but they tasted “done”; the batch that baked for only 25 minutes still had a “not quite done” feel to it. But overall, I will for sure make them again!
Is the milk warmed at all, and if so, to what temp?
I like to use room temp- good question!
My grandmother’s family immigrated from Bohemia back in the 1880’s. (Always said we weren’t Czech, we were Bohemian).
She made an old family recipe of Kolache every Christmas. (She pronounced it Ko-lach). Unfortunately, she took the family recipe with her when she died. Our local church used to serve them at all their dinners, as we had a large Bohemian community here, but the Kolache were never quite the same as hers.
Have hopes that this recipe is close as I’ll try this recipe. Keeping my fingers crossed.
I visited Utah last month, had kolaches and loved them! I’m back in Pennsylvania now and no one knows what a kolache is, so your recipe was perfect! I used my hand mixer with the dough hooks and that worked great. I only had regular yeast – not the fast acting – but I put them in a really warm oven to rise and that made puff up well. Most importantly, they taste great! I made half the batch strawberry and half with lemon curd mixed into the cheese filling and made lemon cheesecake ones. I’ll make these again! Thank you!
Made these with the cream cheese filling and added raspberries in the center. Simply delicious.
Made these. Came out awesome. Dough was easy to work with and baked up light and fluffy. Fillings were fine without adding additional sugar. Thx for the recipe.
AMAZING! I would also agree that the baking time is a little too long. 15 min was perfect for me!
If I wanted to use different fruit fillings for each cookie how would I divide the ingredients? lets say 4 different fruit fillings..
I would estimate that making 1/4 of the filling in each flavor would work. To help, you can use the “0.5” button on the recipe card, which cuts the recipe in half but then use half of that – does that make sense? Hope that helps!
Has anyone tried a little of the cream cheese filling with a dab of the fruit? Just thinking you could have the best of both worlds.
I have made these with two fillings on each kolache from a recipe in a Viennese cookbook. I’m going to try this recipe which is slightly different and looks delicioius.
I have to insist that anyone making this whisk dry ingredients together before adding the liquid and mixing. When I went to move my dough to the oiled bowl, all my yeast was gummed up in the bottom. It was a huge disaster to say the least.
I bloomed my yeast in the warm milk before adding to the mix. It worked out well.
Great recipe! I used jarred jam, and they turned out great! Did take advice and baked for less time. Definitely making them again!
Fantastic recipe! My sister Mary always made these at Christmas time. Glad I found the recipe. Thank you
Too long cook time but delicious.
I’m excited to try these! Can I just use jarred preserves for the middle instead of making my own, or will it be too runny? Thanks for sharing!
It’s worth a try – it might be slightly less thick than the recipe here. Sorry, I can’t say for sure since I’ve never tried, but if you do try, let us know. That said, the microwave method is super quick to make the fruit fillings.
Great, thank you! I’ll report back how it goes if I decide to try it that way! I really appreciate your response, and thanks again for sharing the recipe! Can’t wait to make it!
I have used my bread machine twice now to make the dough – it comes out unbelievably beautiful. I use both the cream cheese and homemade lemon curd to top. Winner – winner recipe!
Great recipe! Bake time is off though. For a traditional koloche, bake at 460 for 4-6 minutes. Makes for a softer and chewier texture.
Love the different fillings!
Thanks for the feedback! I’ll have to give that a try
Hi Marie. Just wondering if you did try baking at 460 for 4-6 minutes. If so what was the outcome? Thanks for the recipe. I haven’t tried it yet. Just found it and reading through the comments.
Thanks for this suggestion! I did one at 350 (convection) 12 minutes and one at 450 (convection) 6 minutes and temped both to 180 or so.
The higher temperature had a delightfully lighter texture.
We are making a huge batch for my daughter’s multicultural day (approximately 200 servings- we are making slightly larger rounds, and cutting into 1/4ths for this)
And I’m more than happy that the cooking time can be reduced with an enjoyable texture.
It is more cloud-like rather than cake-like.
Thank you Krystin for your feedback. I didn’t see your comment before I asked Marie. I will definitely try that.
Krystin ~
What does “tempted both to 180 or so” reference?