Uber Kolaches

Category: Desserts & Sweets | Blog URL: http://www.kitschenfeast.blogspot.com

This recipe was entered in The Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook contest, a compilation of the world’s best food blogs which was published in Fall 2010.

Photo: Heidi Alger

Ingredients

2 cups scalded milk

2 Eggs

2 cups Packages regular rise yeast, dissolved in ½ warm water

1/2 cup mashed potatoes

1/2 cup potato water (water potatoes were boiled in)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup shortening

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Poppyseed filling, canned

Cherry filling, canned

Apricot filling, canned

Prune filling, canned

Coconut, to taste

Preparation

Dissolve sugar and shortening in scalded milk while hot

Cool slightly

Beat in yeast mixture, potatoes, potato water and eggs

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt

Beat flour mixture into yeast mixture with whisk until well blended

Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1/2 hour until bubbly

Add 4-5 cups to make a soft dough

Work with wooden spoon, not hands

Place dough in covered bowl overnight in refrigerator

Day 2: Lightly knead dough on floured surface

Do not over work dough

Roll out to thickness of 1/2 inch

Cut into circles with small juice glass

Place dough disks on lightly greased cookie sheet

Using finger press out area in center of disk

Add 1 teaspoon of filling of choice

Let rise covered lightly with wax paper

Bake kolaches in order of assembly at 350 degrees 10-12m Remove from oven to cooling rack.

Rub doughy outer edges of rolls with butter

Sprinkle centers with coconut

Set to cool

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About

Ultmate Kitsch for Uber Bohemians: The Kolache

We're celebrating my Gramps' 80th birthday this weekend. And in his eyes two things in life are certain - polka music & Kolaches.

Kolaches are classic, Czech wheel-shaped cakes - simple sweet buns made from yeasted dough - usually with a fruit or poppy seed filling. [yay! opiates - an ingredient as important as monosodiumglutimate] in mid-century cooking & baking]

My mom is treating Gramps, friends & family to 80 of them from my his mom's [my great granny Lena] recipe. How's that for retro? Here we go...

Kolaches
[a labor of love. heavy on the labor - but you'll love them]
2 cups scalded milk
2 pkgs. regular rise yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup mashed potatoes
1/2 cup potato water (water potatoes were boiled in)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
Dissolve sugar and shortening in scalded milk while hot. Cool slightly and beat in yeast mixture, potatoes and potato water and two eggs.
Sift together:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Beat flour mixture into yeast mixture with whisk until well blended
Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1/2 hour until bubbly
Add 4-5 cups to make a soft dough
Work with wooden spoon, not hands
Place dough in covered bowl overnight in refrigerator
Day 2: Lightly knead dough on floured surface
Do not over work dough
Roll out to thickness of 1/2 inch
Cut into circles with small juice glass
Place dough disks on lightly greased cookie sheet
Using finger press out area in center of disk
Add 1 teaspoon of filling of choice
Let rise covered lightly with wax paper
Bake kolaches in order of assembly at 350 degrees 10-12m Remove from oven to cooling rack.
Rub doughy outer edges of rolls with butter
Sprinkle centers with coconut
Set to cool