Ingredients
- Sponge*
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- Dough*
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 4 1/2 to 5 cups unbleached white flour
- Crumb Topping
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon butter Filling
- 1 recipe of filling (poppy seed, cottage cheese, peach or prune)
Preparation
Step 1
Sponge
Mix the warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar in a large bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast, stirring until dissolved. Let stand for 5 minutes or until the mixture bubbles
Dough
Scald the milk in a small saucepan. With a wire whisk, stir the 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and 1/2 cup butter or margarine into the scalded milk. Cool to warm temperature, then stir in the eggs. Stir the lukewarm milk into the yeast mixture and beat until smooth.
Stir in the flour a cup at a time until it is fully incorporated and no longer sticky. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes or until the dough does not stick to the hands. Put the dough into a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until double in bulk.
Filling
Prepare one of the fillings.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide it into 12 equal pieces and form each into a ball by hand. Press very hard with a tablespoon to make a crater in the top of each mound, using fingers if necessary to help form the indentation. Spoon the filling of your choice into the indentation in the top of each kolache. Each one holds about 1 heaping tablespoon of filling.
Crumb Topping
Mix together 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons flour. Using your fingers, rub in 1 tablespoon butter until fully incorporated. The mixture should be crumbly. Sprinkle crumb topping on the filling.
Bake
Place kolaches 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.
Yield: 1 dozen kolaches