Kolaches
From Wikipedia: Kolache (also spelled kolace, kolach, or kolacky, from the Czech and Slovak plural koláče) is a type of pastry consisting of fillings ranging from fruits (including poppy seed, raspberry, and apricot) to cheeses inside a bread roll. Originally only a sweet dessert from Central Europe, they have become popular in parts of the United States.
Note: This recipe comes from “The Psota Collection,” a compilation of recipes from the Psota family in Ravenna, Nebraska. My aunt, Albie Kostal Psota, was an excellent cook and made kolaches for us all the time.
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 2 packages dry yeast
- flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup mile (scald, cool to warm)
- 1 cup lard
- 5-6 cups flour
Mix first four ingredients using enough flour to make thin batter, like pancakes. Let stand 15 minutes. Then add remaining ingredients. Mix well and let rise until double in size. Push down. Take ¼ of dough, pat down and cut into 3- to 4-inch squares. Pull corners up so it looks like an ‘H.’ Put filling in center — apple, prune, apricot, cherry, cottage cheese or poppy seed – and bring corners up and tie, like a shoe. Let rise until double in size. Bake in 350° oven until brown, about 30 minutes.
