Cheater Almost Kolaches Recipes

CHEATER ALMOST KOLACHES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Either mix up a batch of your favorite biscuit dough and cut into 16 pieces or open a can of biscuits (the flaky kind is my favorite) and separate each biscuit into half (this should give you 16 biscuit halves).
• Take the 2 slices of cheese, cut each into 4 strips, and then cut those in half the other direction, giving you 16 short strips.
• Place 1 strip of cheese and 1 sausage onto each biscuit piece and wrap dough around them. Place seam side down on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Brush the tops with melted butter and serve warm.
• You can of course, substitute any of your favorite kolache fillings.

OLD-FASHIONED KOLACHES

Steps:

• Scald milk. Add sugar and butter and stir to dissolve. Allow it to cool to warm, then add the yeast and let it begin to work. Add eggs.
• Put milk mix in a large mixing bowl. Measure the flour and salt into another bowl.
• With a mixer slowly work the flour mix into the dough bowl. When the dough becomes too thick for the mixer to handle, start working in the flour by hand.
• When dough starts to come together and leave the sides of the bowl, it's just right.
• Form the dough into a ball and cover. Let rise in warm place until double its size.
• Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead gently until it comes together and is soft and elastic.
• Divide dough into egg-size pieces. Flatten and form into square or round. Make a depression in the center with your floured thumb.
• Fill the depression with 1 rounded teaspoon of filling. Let the filled kolaches rise about 20 minutes. Brush tops with beaten egg mixed with a little milk and sugar.
• Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Sprinkle you fresh out-of-the-oven kolaches with powdered sugar before serving.
• FILINGS:
• Apricot: Place 1 lb dried apricots in a pan with cool water. Let soak several hours. Bring to slow simmer and add sugar to taste. Cook until very soft. Stir to get a smooth consistency.
• Prune: Made the same way as the apricot filling.
• Pineapple: Simmer well drained canned, crushed pineapple until it thickens.
• Poppy seed: 1/2 lb ground poppy seeds, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla. Add enough milk to make a thick mis. Let stand overnight to absorb the liquid.
• Cream cheese: 8 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp lemon juice, 3/4 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp sour cream. Mix together until smooth.
• Sausage: Take a small piece of sausage and wrap dough around the piece and bake.
• You can use just about any fruit filling in the kolaches, just don't use jam or jelly. They liquefy with the heat in the oven.

BOHEMIAN KOLACHES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm milk; let stand 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, remaining sugar, egg yolks, salt, butter and yeast/milk mixture. Mix until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough. , Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Add additional flour if necessary. Place dough in greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down and allow to rise again. Roll out on floured surface to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with large glass or 2-1/2-in. cutter. Place on greased baking sheets; let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. , Firmly press indentation in center and fill each roll with a heaping tablespoon of filling. Brush dough with egg white. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until rolls are light golden brown.

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.