Poppy Seed Kolaches Recipe: A Delicious Czech Pastry
Sink your teeth into this wonderful poppy seed kolache recipe—Czech style. Rounds of sweet yeast dough filled with homemade poppy seed filling, sprinkled with buttery streusel and drizzled with a lemony glaze. If you are a fan of poppy seeds, you are going to love these delightful pastries.
Kolaches are a bakery classic in the Czech Republic. We first enjoyed them however, in Texas.
My husband Armando is a born and raised Texan but had never heard of kolaches until last summer when we were on a road trip from California to visit his family in Texas.
I had been reading about how Czech immigrants have been baking kolaches in Texas since the mid 1800s and asked him if he ever had one. They sounded heavenly, sweet dough filled with different fillings like fruit jams, poppy seed or cheese filling and topped with a buttery streusel.
He had no idea what I was talking about so I went on a mission to find them.
We made a stop at The Kolache House Baking Company in West, Texas. I would link to it but it doesn’t have a website. If you are interested in visiting, it is located inside the CEFCO convenience store in West, Texas. Definitely worth a visit.
They had small kolaches filled with prune filling, apricot, cream cheese, and poppy seed filling.
All were impossibly flavorful but my favorites were the poppy seed ones. Nutty, toasty, and not too sweet. I knew immediately this was a treat I would be making.
Move over danish, there’s a new breakfast pastry in town!
Ingredients
- Whole milk
- All purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Large eggs
- Active dry yeast
- Kosher salt
- Unsalted butter. Give the butter an hour or so to come to room temperature before beginning the recipe
- Poppy seeds
- Powdered sugar
- Honey
- Lemon
How To Make This Recipe
step one
Warm the milk. Start the dough by warming the milk either on the stove or in the microwave until it is just warm to the touch. You want it to be between 105°F-110°F.
step two
Mix the dough. Combine the flour, yeast, salt, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 of the eggs, and the lukewarm milk in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Start mixing on low speed until it comes together.
Increase to medium speed and start adding in the 6 tablespoons of butter a little at a time letting the first part mix in before adding the next piece. Once all the butter has been added, continue kneading on medium for 8 more minutes.
step three
Let the dough rise. Remove dough to a greased large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the kolache dough rise in a warm place until very soft and fluffy, 1-2 hours. It won’t completely double in size but should have noticeably risen.
step four
Grind the poppy seeds. Make the poppyseed filling recipe while waiting for the dough to rise. First, grind the poppy seeds in a clean coffee grinder or spice grinder until they form a powder but not so much that they turn to paste.
step five
Make the filling. In a medium saucepan combine the ground poppy seeds, milk, honey, and powdered sugar. Place over medium heat until the mixture starts to boil, stirring constantly.
Reduce to low heat and simmer until the mixture is the consistency of thick porridge, about 5 more minutes. Stir in lemon zest and set aside to cool.
step six
Make the streusel. Combine flour, sugar, and butter in a medium bowl. Work the butter in with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly.
step seven
Divide the dough. Heat oven to 350°F. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Use a scale to be exact if you have one, mine came out to about 2 ounces each. Roll each piece into a tight, round circle.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place each ball about 2-inches apart on the baking tray. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise another hour.
step eight
Shape. Using a 2-inch glass or jar (something that is smaller than the kolaches. I used an espresso tamper), press firmly on each round of dough to create a deep indentation in the middle.
step nine
Brush with egg wash. Beat the remaining egg with a tablespoon of water in a small bowl and brush the egg wash all over the kolaches.
step ten
Fill. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the filling into the indentation of each kolache. Sprinkle with streusel topping.
step eleven
Bake. Place baking sheet in the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake until kolache are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
step twelve
Make glaze. Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. The glaze is not traditional but I loved the extra tinge of lemon flavor. You can leave it off if you’d like.
step thirteen
Enjoy! Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack. Drizzle glaze over pastries and serve warm with coffee or tea or for breakfast. Any leftover kolache can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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Homemade Kolaches Are The New Danish
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Poppy Seed Kolaches Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the dough
- 3/4 cups whole milk
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature divided
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
For the filling
- 3/4 cup poppy seeds
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
For the streusel
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
For the glaze
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
For the dough
- Warm milk on the stove or in the microwave until it is just warm to the touch, about 105°F-110°F.
- Combine the flour, sugar, 1 of the eggs, yeast, salt, and warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Start on low and mix until the dough comes together.
- Increase the speed to medium and start adding the butter 1 cube at a time, letting the first one blend in before adding the next. Once all the butter is added, continue kneading for about 8 more minutes or until the dough is soft, pliable, and stretchy.
- Grease a large bowl and transfer dough into the bowl, the dough should be sticky and soft. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until soft and fluffy, about 1-2 hours. It won't double in size but it should be slightly larger than when you first put it in the bowl. Prepare the poppy seed filling and streusel while the dough rises.
For the filling
- Using a clean coffee grinder or spice grinder, grind the poppy seeds until they are finely ground but not a paste.
- Combine ground poppy seeds, milk, powdered sugar, and honey in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 5 minutes or until it has the consistency of thick porridge, stirring frequently. The mixture should not immediately run back in on itself when stirred and have a toasted aroma. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest. Set aside to cool.
For the streusel
- Combine flour, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Rub together with your fingers until everything is well mixed and forms little crumbs.
To assemble and bake
- Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Use a scale to be accurate. Mine were about 2 ounces each. Roll each dough ball into a perfect circle. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2-inches apart. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise another hour.
- Heat oven to 350°F and arrange rack in the middle.
- Using a 2-inch glass or jar (something that is smaller than the kolaches, I used an espresso tamper) press down on each circle to create an indentation in the middle of each. Press firmly, the dough should be almost transparent on the bottom. If the glass is sticking dip it in flour.
- Beat the remaining egg with a little water and brush the egg wash all over each kolache.
- Spoon 1 tablespoon of the poppy seed filling into each round then sprinkle with the streusel.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and firm on the outside.
- While the kolaches are baking mix together the powdered sugar and lemon juice for the glaze.
- Remove kolaches from oven and set baking sheet on a wire rack. Drizzle with the glaze.
- Serve warm for breakfast with coffee or tea. Any leftover kolache can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Rewarm before serving.
Notes
- Filling: If you’d rather not make the poppy seed filling you can substitute 1 cup of your favorite jam or 1 cup of whipped cream cheese.
- Poppy seeds: You need 3/4 cup of poppy seeds for this recipe. I buy them in bulk online. They are way less expensive than those little jars at the grocery store.
- Glaze: The lemon glaze is not traditional but I love the extra tinge of lemon. You can leave it off it you’d like.
- Make-ahead/Storage: The kolache are best the day they are made but you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Rewarm in the oven before serving.
Video
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