Czech Kolache
These are the delicious yeasted pastries famous in Texas and Moravia.
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. To make the dough: Warm the sour cream gently, and combine it with the sugar, salt, and butter in a large mixing bowl, the bowl of an electric mixer, or the bucket of your bread machine.
  2. Cool the mixture to lukewarm (if it isn’t already that temperature), and add the yeast, warm water, eggs, and flour. Mix and knead the dough, using your hands, a mixer, or a bread machine, until it’s soft and smooth. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the dough overnight.
  3. Next day, remove the dough from the fridge, and divide it into about 20 pieces, each 1 3/4 ounces, about the size of a golf ball. Place the pieces on lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving about an inch between them.
  4. Flatten the balls until they’re about 1/2″ thick, cover them with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.
  5. Using your fingers, make a wide, deep indentation in the center of each flattened dough ball. Don’t be afraid of being decisive here; you want to make a deep enough indentation that it doesn’t just disappear as the buns rise and bake. Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling into each bun; crumble a little of the streusel on top. Cover the kolaches, and allow them to rise for about an hour; they won’t necessarily double in bulk.
  6. Uncover the kolaches, and bake them in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until they’re golden brown.
  7. Remove the kolaches from the oven, and serve warm, or at room temperature. Store any leftovers airtight at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.