Sunday baking project - Kolaches - the Czech breakfast! (Good for any time though!)

You may have seen these in European bakeries or you may have eaten them in a nice hotel... which is where I first had them many moons ago.  These are ever-so-popular in the US at present I'm told and they serve them savoury and sweet but I just can't imagine it quite honestly.

Kolaches are soft and light semi-sweet bread (not overly) with cream cheese and fruit/jam centre.  Not unlike the danish really but much lighter and much less sticky/sweet.  The Czechs like to have these for breakfast, but  they are lovely with a cup of tea for morning or afternoon tea.  I especially like them right out of the oven but they are nice cold and if you love them warm you can pop them back in to reheat.

This makes 24 kolaches - they are about 10cm in diameter so you could halve the batch if there's only a few of you or make the full amount if there's a few more or you would like to share with your neighbours - they may magically appear when they smell you baking them... don't say I didn't warn you.  Sorry if you don't like your neighbours!


Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk, slightly warm (30 seconds in the microwave)
2 tsp dry yeast
3/4 tsp lemon zest
3 eggs
1/4 cup icing sugar
125g butter or margarine, quite soft
4 1/2 cups plain flour


Topping
125g cream cheese
1 small egg
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup caster sugar
Jam of your choice


Method:
Place your warm milk and yeast together, allow to sit for about 5 minutes.

Pour milk and yeast into a large bowl or machine with a dough hook and add butter/margarine, eggs and lemon zest.

Add three of the cups of flour initially and mix in well.  Lastly knead in the last 1 1/2 cups flour - it will become a very soft, light dough.

Place into a greased bowl and cover with cling film.

Set aside until it doubles in size (anywhere from 1- 3 hours depending how warm/humid it is)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees c

divide mixture into 2 halves, and cut each half into 12 equal portions

Roll each portion into a ball and flatten down and place onto a greased baking tray.  Let them rise a second time - for about 30 minutes should do it.

 

Press a well into the centre of each portion with the back of a spoon.

They should look something like this when you're done:

Mix your filling together 

And pour/spoon into your 'cavities'

Then put in your favourite jam - I used these lovely ones I got at the easter show last year- Sour cherry jam and a raspberry and vanilla jam.  You could add a few frozen raspberries or fresh blueberries too.

 

Bake for 15 minutes or so until golden brown on the bun part.

I made 1/3 of them plain filling, and the others with jam.

Enjoy!  


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