Kolache revisited
I wish to send out love to all my Czech & Slovak colleagues - whenever I bake kolache, I feel you in my heart. My cabin is currently filled with the smell of baking kolache, nurturing my soul.
Kolache is plural - one is a kolach, but who could possibly stop at one? “Kolaches” is an Anglicized plural, encountered in parts of Texas, Iowa, & Northern illinois, where large communities of Czech immigrants may be found. Best I’ve ever had aside from my own kitchen were from a small bakery in Košice, Slovakia, close to the train station.
This recipe utilizes a Tangzhong, introduced from Japanese baking traditions, a roux made by cooking some of the flour (typically 4 - 8% of the total flour in the recipe) with water and milk, which gelatinizes starches, leading to a moister, softer, fluffier crumb, and extending shelf life. I think this simple step contributes a lot to the outcome.
For about a dozen kolache (I have a small countertop oven, so this is about all I can handle in 2 batches):
Posipka (streusel)
1/8c white flour
1/8c granulated sugar
1 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
Combine with pastry cutter or fork, or with fingers chilled in ice water & dried, until crumbly. Prepare ahead & keep chilled. This makes for than you’ll need; extra can be frozen.
Prune filling
8 oz dried prunes
Grated zest of 1 lemon (optional, but recommended)
1/4 c granulated sugar (less if you prefer)
1 c water
Pinch of ground cinnamon, or pinch each of ground cloves & nutmeg (my fav)
Simmer until prunes soften; reduce heat & continue cooking, stirring often, ’till shiny & consistency of thick jam
Mash (a potato masher or fork works; I use an immersion blender to create a smooth jam)
Cool (can make ahead & refrigerate)
The Tangzhong
1 Tblsp white bread flour (see below)
1 Tblsp water
2 Tblsp milk
In a small sauce pan, cook over low heat, whisking constantly (I use a small silicone spatula) until a thick roux forms; it sets up quickly. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Brioche Dough
300 g white bread flour (I used organic 00 Marquis from Barton Springs Mill, a lovely 19th-century cross of Red Fife & Red Calcutta; I’ve used other white bread flours, but this is by far my favorite, both for handling & taste; don’t settle for generic big-brand commercial white flour)
1/4 c granulated sugar
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/8 tsp diastatic barley malt powder (optional, but recommended)
1.5 tsp instant dried yeast
3/4 c milk at room temperature
1 large egg
All of the tangzhong, cooled to room temperature
Mix in bread machine on dough cycle until a soft dough ball forms; add
1/4 c softened butter
1/4 c expeller-pressed canola oil (I know that along with the butter, this sounds like a ton of oil, but trust me)
& process until incorporated
Dough will be quite soft; add small amounts of additional flour (1/4-1/2 c as needed, a little at a time), checking texture, until soft but no longer sticky.
Allow to rise at room temperature until doubled, about 45 minutes
Knead down; place in dough bucket, seal, & allow to rise overnight in refrigerator at 40°F (or 2nd rise at room temperature, 30-45 minutes; rising overnight in refrigerator allows you to bake the kolache off first thing in the morning).
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured silicone mat to 1-1.25cm thick; refrigerated dough is easier to handle; if doing 2nd rise at room temperature, consider chilling the dough before rolling out.
Using a 3” biscuit cutter (or the floured rim of a glass in a pinch), cut out rounds (they’’ll end up a little bigger when you press down the centers & from oven spring); place on a silicone baking mat on a baking tray.
Any dough that won’t fit on your baking tray can be refrigerated (even overnight or for a day or two) at 40°F & prepared for a 2nd batch, or used for other brioche-based pastries (cinnamon rolls, pudinkové šneky, &c.). I can fit 6-7 in my little oven. I like being able to bake fresh kolache from a batch of dough 2 days in a row.
Cover with a linen cloth, & proof ~30 minutes until soft & a finger imprint fills slowly
Press down the centers, leaving a proud rim; a well-floured metal 1/4 c measuring cup or base of a small glass works well, or just use your fingers; press down firmly & evenly, leaving a very thin bottom, without breaking through.
Fill with ~1-1.5 Tblsp of prepared filling (prune filling; optionally jam [apricot, raspberry, blueberry, cherry, red or black currant, &c.; avoid overly sweet jams], or poppy seed filling; prune is my favorite, with wild Maine blueberry jam a close second; Klobásníky \[“klobasneks”] in central Texas use savory fillings, & I suppose that’s OK if you’re in Texas, but …)
Brush rims with melted butter, sprinkle with posipka (thickly over rims, with some over the filling as well).
Bake @ 375 °F, 15-20minutes, & remove to a cooling rack.
Brush the rims while still hot out of the oven with melted butter, dabbing with a brush so’s to not disturb the posipka.
Try not to eat them all at one sitting. Day-olds are best warmed in the oven or bun warmer. Extras may be frozen & re-heated.
