Apricot Tex-Czech Kolaches (requires 6 hours)

Yields: 6 dozen apricot-filled kolaches

This pastry recipe creates a soft but chewy roll with a “well” that is filled with dried fruit or cheese filling and a light crumb topping.  Kolaches can’t be made in a hurry, so save this recipe for a weekend or holiday.  The following recipe was adapted in January 2011 from those of Diane Chambers Foshee of Galena Park and Leakey, Mommie Baca (mother of  GPHS band director Arnold Baca) of El Campo, and the Hillje Community Nursing Home Cookbook.

Kolache dough

• 2 packages active dry yeast (4-1/2 teaspoons if using yeast from a jar)
• 1 cup 110°F degree water
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups milk, scalded or microwaved to 110°F
• 1/2 cup butter (no substitutions like yogurt or vegetable oil spread), doesn’t matter if un/salted or un/sweetened
• 2 eggs, well beaten but not foamy
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 Tablespoons sugar
• 7-8 cups regular white, bleached or unbleached flour (not bread-machine flour or whole wheat flour)

Apricot Filling

• 12 oz dried apricots (2 cups)
• 2-3 cups water
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 4 Tablespoons butter (no substitutions)

Posipka (Poe-SIP-kah) crumb topping

• 1 cup white, bleached or unbleached flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoons butter (no substitutions)

 12-step Preparation guide – use this quick reference guide only if you’ve made kolaches before

1. Scald milk, add butter, and cool
2. Proof yeast
3. Make sponge and let rise 1 hour
4. Make fillings
5. Add eggs, salt and 5 Tablespoons sugar to cooled milk, then add this mixture to the sponge.
6. Add rest of flour (~6-7 cups) to dough, knead 10 minutes
7. Final dough rising – 1 hour
8. Roll out and cut dough
9. Spread and fill
10. Let rise in pan – 30 minutes
11. Add posipka topping
12. Bake 12-15 minutes – 400° F

Detailed Preparation Guide

1. Scald milk, add butter, and cool: to scald milk, heat it in a sauce pan on high until first boil bubble appears, or heat on medium power in the microwave for 2-1/2 minutes, then for 2 minutes at high power.  Check milk with candy or bread thermometer, needs to reach 110° F but not go over 120°F.  If microwaved milk temperature is not yet high enough, heat again on high for 1-2 minutes on high and check again.  Add butter to hot milk and stir to melt and combine.  Set aside; it needs to be cooled to room temperature before eggs can be added.  If you add them now, they will “cook” in the hot liquid.
2. Proof yeast: Heat 1 cup water to 110° F (can also heat in microwave or pot or water kettle), use candy or bread thermometer to measure temperature.  Pour hot water into 4-cup bowl, scatter dry yeast over the water and stir in 2 Tablespoons sugar. Set aside and allow to proof (bubble up) for 5 minutes.
3. Make sponge and let rise 1 hour: to make a sponge (sticky bread starter), pour proofed yeast into a large bowl (has to hold at least 10-12 cups) and gradually stir in 1-3/4 cup white, bleached or unbleached flour.  Do not use dough hooks, stir with a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula. The sponge should be smooth and stick to the wooden spoon.  Cover lightly with plastic wrap or cheese cloth and set aside to rise 1 hour.
4. Make filling: if you made the fillings ahead of time, remove from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. To make apricot filling, place water and dried fruit in a medium saucepan and cook on high for 10 minutes.  Add more water, 1/4 cup at a time if needed to prevent sticking and burning.  Reduce head to medium high and cook up to 10 more minutes if fruit is really hard. Resulting fruit should be soft enough to mash into a paste with a hand mixer.  Dump in sugar and butter and mix for 2 minutes.
5. Add beaten eggs, salt and 5 Tablespoons sugar to cooled milk, then add this mixture to sponge.
6. Add remaining flour to dough, 1 cup at a time, knead dough 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place, away from drafts.
7. Final dough rising – 1 hour.  Make posipka while the dough is rising.  Posipka: combine sugar, flour and soft butter in bowl to make a fine crumb topping.  Use a pastry blender or fingers to thoroughly mix the soft butter with the dry ingredients.  Seal in a container; will keep in refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. One batch of posipka provides enough crumb topping for 4-5 batches of kolaches.
8. Roll out and cut dough: Move the bowl of dough near the rolling mat.  Prepare the mat and rolling pin by  lightly flouring both.  Pull a double-handful of dough from the bowl and recover the remainder to prevent drying.  Lightly roll the first batch of dough on the floured surface and roll out to 1/2 inch to 1 inch thickness.  Cut with a floured, round biscuit cutter or the ring of a Mason jar.  The ring of a Mason jar is the perfect size for 48 kolaches from one batch of dough.  Transfer the kolache roll to a ungreased baking sheet.  Continue cutting circles from the dough.  Gently press the dough scraps together and re-roll to use all the dough.  Transfer another double-handful of fresh dough from the bowl and repeat the rolling and cutting process. HOW MANY in a pan? For kolaches that are golden brown on top, use a flat baking sheet or a jelly-roll pan.  For kolaches that are a pale creamy color, use a baking sheet with tall sides, like a Wilton 11 x 15 x 2 inch rectangular pan. There will be 16-20 kolache rolls in a typical cookie sheet, 4 rows and 4-5 columns.  Leave about 3/4 inch to 1 inch between rolls, space for them to expand in the final rising.
9. Spread and fill. When all the kolache rolls are on their baking sheet, spread and fill the rolls.  To make a well in the roll, group all the fingers of one hand into a five-finger pinch, push the pinched fingers down into the center of the roll,  gently spread fingers apart and slightly twist wrist to “open” the kolache, but without creating a complete hole through the dough.  Instead of a donut shape, you are going for baby swimming pool shape. Place one tablespoon of filling in each well. Cover the entire pan lightly with plastic wrap and set aside for final rising.
10. Let rise in pan, 30 minutes.
11. Add posipka topping: Before baking, scatter one-half to one Tablespoon posipka crumb topping over filling.
12. Bake 12-15 minutes at 400° F.  Remember, kolaches in pans with high sides will not brown on top.