Elsie Hroneks Kolaches Recipes

MARTHA'S KOLACHES

Steps:

• Cookies:In a small bowl, stir together yeast and sour cream. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes. Whisk in eggs until smooth.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in yeast mixture. Knead in bowl a few times until dough is smooth and comes together. Wrap dough in plastic and flatten into a square. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/4 inch thick. Using a 3-inch square cutter, cut out squares. Transfer to two parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced about 1 1/2 inches apart.
• Place 1 teaspoon jam in the center of each square. Fold upper-right corner over filling, about two-thirds of the way toward opposite corner; press down to seal. Brush lower-left corner with egg wash, then fold corner up and over first fold, pressing down to adhere. (Be careful not to fold too tightly, or you may force out some of the filling.) Repeat with remaining squares.
• Bake until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.
• Glaze:In a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar and butter. While whisking, drizzle in milk, a little at a time, until glaze has a runny consistency. Using a spoon, drizzle glaze over cookies. Let stand until set, 1 hour. Glazed cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

TEXAS SAUSAGE KOLACHES (KLOBASNEKS)

Steps:

• Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Remove from heat immediately. Stir sugar, salt, and 1/4 cup butter into the milk and stir until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
• Combine warm water and yeast in the large bowl of a stand mixer and stir until dissolved. Stir in cooled milk mixture, eggs, and 2 cups flour. Beat using the dough hook attachment until smooth. Add remaining flour, mixing as you go, just until dough is elastic and slightly stiff, but not dry.
• Turn dough out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and very elastic, 10 to 15 minutes. Coat dough lightly with butter or oil and place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let sit in a warm place to double in size, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, cut sausages in half and pat dry; this is important. Thinly slice Cheddar cheese block from the short end so that each slice of cheese is about the same length as the halved sausages.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a baking sheet.
• Turn risen dough out onto a very lightly floured board. Roll into a log, cut into 5 equal pieces, and cut each piece into quarters to make 20 equal-sized pieces of dough. Use the palm of your hand to flatten and press 1 piece into a circle or oval. Place the circle on the board and add 1 piece of Cheddar cheese topped with 1 dry halved sausage. Roll dough around fillings and very tightly pinch all seams together to seal. Smooth seams down and place kolache on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling to make 20 kolaches.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

MRS. JERABEK'S KOLACHES

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in water and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar.
• In large bowl or mixer, cream sugar and shortening or margarine together.
• Add yolks and salt and mix well.
• Add the dissolved yeast and about á cup of the flour.
• Mix slowly with mixer.
• Add all the milk and continue adding the remaining flour, using mixer or stirring with a wooden spoon until dough becomes glossy.
• Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about one hour.
• Preheat oven to 425F and lightly grease your baking pans.
• After the dough has risen, cut off small portions of dough about the size of an egg.
• Using a tablespoon, shape into balls and place on a greased pan about 1 inch apart.
• Brush with melted butter to improve flavor, cover loosely and let rise until light.
• Make a small indentation in each piece and place filling there.
• Sprinkle with topping and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
• Brush the kolaches with melted butter when they come out of the oven and cool on wire racks.
• Kolaches are best if they're eaten the day they are made.
• For the posypka: Mix ingredients together until it resembles coarse meal. Store in refrigerator.
• For the prune filling: Cook prunes slowly in water to cover until soft and tender. Remove any stones from the cooled prunes and add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and mix well. Do not overmix or prunes will lose their color. Filling for about 2 dozen kolaches.
• For the apricot filling: Cook a 10-oz package of dried apricots slowly in enough water to cover until fruit is soft and water is cooked out. Do not cover or fruit turns dark. Add 1 1/2 cups sugar or more to taste and mash with a potato masher until well blended. Filling for about 2 dozen kolaches.
• For the cottage cheese filling: If using cottage cheese as a filling, be sure to enclose cheese in the dough. Spread dough balls out, place cheese in the middle and pinch all sides together to seal completely. Place sealed side down on the greased pan and butter the pastry. Let rise until light, sprinkle with topping and bake. If commercial cottage cheese is used. Mix together until blended. If cheese is too moist, add very finely rolled crackers, about 10 or 12 to absorb liquid. If using country-style cottage cheese, cream cheese can be omitted or used for added flavor, according to taste.