Czech Kolache Authentic Recipe (České koláče) (2024)

Want to try authentic Czech food? Don't miss "kolache" by any means! Kolache (plural, in Czech kolace) are a round sweet pastry with various fillings. The kolache came to the USA with Czechs who moved there to start a new life at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Since then, kolache have been a great success, and no wonder they taste fantastic!

➜ What Is Kolache?

Kolache are a sweet Czech pastry made of yeast dough. Kolache are flat, generously filled in the middle with fruit, poppy seed, or cream cheese filling. They always have a round shape and are about 3–4 inches (8–10 cm) in diameter.

Before baking, the sides of the pastry are brushed with a beaten egg. Most of them are sprinkled with streusel topping (posypka) on their surface.

Original and authentic Czech kolache are round, not square. They are served nicely filled, with just the right amount of streusel.

MY TIP: Try Czech buchty brioche, sweet-filled buns (they are fantastic!)

➜ How to Pronounce Kolache

I recorded a short audio clip to hear the Czech pronunciation of the word kolache (koláče). I am a native Czech, so you get the pronunciation firsthand!

The first two words in the audio clip mean "koláč" (1 piece of kolache). The last two words mean "koláče" (2 and more pieces of kolache).

➜ Kolache or Kolaches?

Wondering what the plural of kolache is? Let me explain.

One piece is called a "koláč" (a kolach) in Czech. Two or more pieces are called "koláče" (kolache). So, the word kolache is plural in itself!

However, in the US, the letter s is often added to the end of the word kolache to form the word "kolaches". This means that the word kolaches is actually a double plural.

You may also come across various other names from a corruption of the word kolache; most often, they are koulache or colaches.

➜ Ingredients

Dough for kolache:

To make kolache dough, you’ll need:

• All-purpose flour; any plain wheat flour should work fine (Czech equivalent: hladká mouka). Read more about types of Czech wheat flour.
• Milk; lukewarm to support activating of the yeast. This means it shouldn't be too hot or too cold. If the milk were too hot, it would kill the yeast, which would not rise.
• Unsalted butter; melted or at least softened, not hot. I always put the butter in a bowl and microwave it for 30 seconds (microwave on medium power).
• Egg; whole
• Coarse sugar
• Vanilla paste; or vanilla sugar. It gives a pleasant aroma to the dough. I have Dr. Oetker vanilla paste at home. I looked it up in the US, and it's available on Amazon.com. If you don't have any vanilla paste, you can omit it.
• Active dry yeast; Czechs usually use fresh yeast. I used dry yeast in this recipe for simplicity, which works perfectly!
• Salt; just a little for a pleasant taste contrast.

You'll need one egg for an egg wash. Brush it on the sides of the cakes before baking for a beautiful golden glossy color.

✅You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

Fillings for kolache:

Next, you need kolache fillings. In the Czech Republic, the most commonly used are poppy seed filling, cream cheese filling, or prune jam filling. Looking for something interesting? Try this sweet cabbage filling according to the traditional Czech recipe!

In the USA, fruit fillings such as apricot or peach are very popular. Take any thick fruit filling that works well for you when baking.

➜ Instructions with Photos

STEP 1: In a small saucepan, heat the milk until lukewarm. Put your little finger in it. If the milk is nicely warm yet not too hot, it's ready!

Pour the dry yeast and a teaspoon of sugar into the milk. The sugar will encourage the yeast to activate. Stir everything with a spoon and leave it in a warm place (photo 1) for about 10-15 minutes until foam forms on the surface (photo 2).

STEP 2: Meanwhile, melt the butter, which should be semi-liquid but not hot. Around 30 seconds in the microwave is ideal.

STEP 3: Add the flour, sugar, and salt into a mixing bowl. Add an egg, vanilla, melted butter, and activated yeast with milk.

STEP 4: Begin with the dough. Roughly combine all the ingredients in a bowl with a fork (photo 1). Pour the mixture out onto a floured work surface and use your hands to work it into a smooth elastic dough (photo 2).

If the dough is too sticky, dust it with a tablespoon of flour and continue kneading. Repeat until the dough is no longer sticky.

If you have a stand mixer you're used to making yeast dough in, feel free to use it. It'll save you work!

STEP 5: Put the dough back into the bowl (photo 1) and let it rise in a warm place for 40 minutes (photo 2).

MY TIP: I let the dough rise in the oven, on the bottom of which I placed a pot with hot, lightly steaming water. Close the oven door. The warm and humid environment does wonders for the dough, it always rises well.

⤍ Learn how to make dough rise in the oven.

STEP 6: Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide it into equal parts. If you have a kitchen scale and want kolache the same size, weigh each piece on the scale. The weight of a piece of dough for one pie is around 1 and 1/2 oz (45 g).

Shape each piece of dough into a ball. Place it on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Leave enough space between the balls so that the cakes don't touch and bake into a square later. The classic Czech kolach is round!

MY TIP: I used a baking sheet about 17x14 inches (43x36 cm). I could fit nine pies in it.

STEP 7: Let the dough balls rise in a warm place for another 40 minutes. Cover the dough with a clean tea towel if you leave the dough to rise on the kitchen counter. I put the baking sheet back in the oven with a pot of warm water.

STEP 8: Time to shape kolache! We need to create a beautiful round kolach and create a depression in the center for the filling placement.

Take a round-bottomed vessel about 3 inches in diameter, such as glass. I used a 1/2 measuring cup.

Wrap the bottom with a clean dish towel so that there are no creases.

Press the wrapped vessel evenly into the dough with light pressure from above. The kolach is stretched out wide and round, and an indentation is made in the middle for the filling.

MY TIP: Wrapping the container with a dish towel prevents the dough from sticking to the container.

STEP 9: In a shallow bowl, beat an egg using a fork and create an egg wash. Brush it over the edges of the kolache pastries.

After baking, the beaten egg creates a golden and shiny surface on the kolache edges. If you want this effect to be less pronounced, add a tablespoon or two of water to the beaten egg.

STEP 10: Now, place the filling in the middle of each kolach. Just about 1 to 1.1/2 tablespoons per kolach are enough. If you like, sprinkle the cakes with streusel topping.

STEP 11: Let's bake kolache! Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Place the sheet with kolache in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are golden brown.

➜ Decorating on the Surface

The surface of old Czech country kolache was usually decorated. Czech grannies (babi or babička is the Czech word for grandmother) adorned the kolache with contrasting elements or combined different fillings to create impressive decor.

Kolache decorating varies from region to region in the Czech Republic. Chodske kolace (Chodsko is a historical area in western Bohemia) is probably the most famous; they have unique patterns.

On the kolaches in this recipe, I show an example of typical decorating, which is simple and everyone can do.

Cream cheese filling: Place three raisins in the middle of the cake in the shape of a small flower.

Prune jam filling: Place one blanched almond in the middle. Or three halved blanched almonds, again in the shape of a flower.

Poppyseed filling: Sprinkle the surface of a kolach with a small amount of streusel topping (drobenka, posypka). Avoid too much streusel; the filling must peek out under the topping.

➜ Serving

There is no secret, freshly-baked kolache taste the best! Enjoy them still lukewarm with your cup of good coffee or tea.

MY TIP: Kolache are also great for a potluck if you want to introduce your friends to a typical dish from Czech cuisine.

➜ Storage

At room temperature: Kolache taste best the same day you bake it. Stored in an airtight container, they will keep at room temperature for around three days.

Store the kolache with fresh cheese filling in a fridge or another cool place.

How to freeze kolache: Do you have any kolache left? There's nothing better than freezing them! Put kolache in a freezer as soon as possible, preferably the same day you bake them.

Place kolache in a plastic bag and put them in a freezer. After about 20 minutes, shake the kolache and separate them from each other. This will prevent the pieces from sticking together.

The kolache will keep in the freezer for three to five months.

Reheating kolache: Take out the number of kolaches you intend to eat. Let them thaw slowly on the kitchen counter at room temperature. Cover them with foil to keep kolache from drying out. They will thaw entirely in about two hours.

➜ Useful Tips

• Kolache dough needs to rise twice. First as dough itself, then as dough formed into balls (see the recipe). If you cheat the rising process, kolache won't be flat, the middle will lift, and the filling will ooze out.
• You may have come across the American version of kolache, which is savory (e.g., pig in the blanket). I assure you that classic Czech kolache are always sweet. Salty kolaches are an American invention, which has nothing to do with the real Czech ones.
• In the USA you can buy kolaches in local Czech bakeries. Most of them can be found in Texas, where a sizeable Czech community gathers. Hruska's kolaches are well-known and popular; their company resides in Utah. Another famous Czech bakery where kolaches are available is Vesecky’s Bakery in Illinois.

More Czech pastries:

• Houska Christmas bread, currently known as vánočka
• Bublanina, a fruit sheet cake
• Apple strudel
• Poppy seed kolache
• Prague kolach cake