Kolaches

By AzWench

Ingredients

• Dough:
• 2 cups milk
• 1 package yeast
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water (110 to 115 degrees)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 8 1/2 cups flour
• Cheese Filling:
• 14 ounces dry-curd cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup sugar
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 egg yolks
• Pineapple Filling:
• 8 ounces crushed pineapple in its own juice
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Peach Filling:
• 2 cups peaches, pitted and chopped
• 1 cup peach jam
• Streusel Topping:
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Preparation

Step 1

To Make the Dough: Warm the milk in a medium saucepan set over medium heat until it begins to steam and form a skin; do not boil. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes until it registers 110 to 115 degrees on a candy thermometer. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Melt the butter in a microwave or a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt and melted butter. Add the cooled milk and the yeast mixture. Gradually add the flour to the batter, 2 cups at a time. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix the flour with the wet ingredients. Keep adding the flour until it is completely incorporated and the dough begins to hold together. Use a light touch; don't pound or overwork the dough or you'll get tough kolaches. The dough will be sticky, moist, and light.

Lightly grease a large bowl with vegetable oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours (a dent should remain when the dough is touched lightly). Leaving the dough in the bowl, punch it down until it deflates (1 or 2 punches with your fist will do). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

To Make the Cheese Filling: Combine cottage cheese, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, and egg yolks.

To Make the Pineapple Filling: Combine the can of pineapple and juice with the cornstarch in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons unsalted butter.

To Make the Peach Filling: Combine the chopped peaches with the jam in a medium bowl.

Grease a 12 by 17-inch baking sheet with butter or cooking spray. With lightly oiled fingertips, shape the dough into 2 1/2-inch-diameter balls, about the size small limes. Arrange the balls evenly on the baking pan, 3 across and 6 down.

To fill the kolaches, use your thumb or finger to make a generous indentation in the middle of each dough ball, being sure not to pierce the bottom of the dough. Mound about 1 heaping teaspoonful of filling in the indentation. Cover the rolls with a clean tea towel and let the rolls rise in a warm draft-free place until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour.

To Make the Streusel Topping: Use your hands of a food processor fitted with a metal blade to mix the flour, sugar, and butter until crumbly. Scatter the topping over the kolaches just before baking.

Bake the kolaches until lightly browned on top, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool the kolaches for 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm or room temperature.