Texas Kolaches with Fruit and Cream Cheese Filling

Why you’ll love it

• Soft, rich, bakery-style dough that stays tender for days.
• Two fillings in one: creamy sweet cheese and bright fruit preserves.
• Makes 24, perfect for brunch, guests or the freezer.

Quick facts

Ingredients

For the dough

• 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
• 2 1/4 tsp (1 packet / 7 g) instant or active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar, divided
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

For the cream cheese filling

• 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

For the fruit filling

• 1/2 cup (about 160 g) thick fruit preserves or fruit pie filling, such as apricot, cherry, blueberry or peach

For the posypka (streusel topping)

• 1/4 cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp (28 g) cold unsalted butter
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon

To finish

• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk, for brushing
• 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter, melted, for brushing after baking

Step-by-step method

1. Activate the yeast. In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir the warm milk, 1 tsp of the sugar and the yeast. Let stand 5–10 minutes, until foamy.

2. Make the dough. Add the remaining sugar, the eggs, the melted butter and the salt and mix with the dough hook. With the mixer on low, add the flour a cup at a time. Knead on medium-low 6–8 minutes, until the dough is smooth, soft and slightly tacky but pulls away from the sides of the bowl; add 1–2 tbsp more flour only if it is very sticky.

3. First rise. Shape the dough into a ball, put it in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place 1–1 1/2 hours, until doubled.

4. Make the fillings and topping. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and lemon zest until smooth. For the posypka, rub the flour, sugar, cold butter and cinnamon together with your fingertips until it forms coarse crumbs. Refrigerate both until needed.

5. Shape the buns. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Gently deflate the dough and divide it into 24 equal pieces (about 1 1/2 oz / 45 g each). Roll each into a smooth ball and place them 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the sheets, 12 per sheet. Flatten each ball slightly with your palm. Cover and let rise 30–45 minutes, until puffy.

6. Make the wells. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). With two floured fingers or the floured bottom of a small glass, press a deep, wide well in the center of each bun, leaving a 1/2-inch (1 cm) rim. Brush the rims with the egg wash.

7. Fill and top. Spoon about 2 tsp of cream cheese filling into each well and add 1 tsp of fruit preserves on top (or fill some with 2 tsp of just one filling). Sprinkle the posypka over the filling and rims.

8. Bake. Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven 15–18 minutes, until the rims are deep golden and the bottoms are lightly browned.

9. Brush and cool. Brush the warm rims with melted butter and let the kolaches cool on the sheet 10 minutes before serving.

How to know it is done

Kolaches are done when the rims are deep golden brown, the bottoms are light golden, the cream cheese filling is set and no longer looks wet, and the bread registers about 190°F (88°C) on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the side. Pale kolaches will taste doughy; give them 2 more minutes.

Tips for the best result

• The milk should feel warm, not hot; above 120°F (49°C) it can kill the yeast.
• Keep the dough soft. Too much flour makes kolaches dense instead of pillowy.
• Press the wells deeper than you think: the dough puffs in the oven, and shallow wells push the filling out.
• Use thick preserves or pie filling; thin jam runs and burns on the pan.

Variations and substitutions

• Fruit only: skip the cream cheese and use 1 heaping tablespoon of preserves per kolache.
• Pumpkin cream cheese: beat 1/3 cup (80 g) pumpkin puree and 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice into the cream cheese filling for fall.
• Poppy seed: fill with canned poppy seed filling, a traditional Czech favorite.
• Savory klobásníky: wrap the dough around small smoked sausages, with a strip of cheese or sliced jalapeño, and bake without the well.
• By hand: mix the dough with a wooden spoon and knead on a lightly floured counter 8–10 minutes.

Make ahead

After kneading, you can let the dough rise slowly in the refrigerator 8–16 hours, covered. In the morning, shape the cold dough into balls and allow an extra 15–20 minutes for the second rise. The cream cheese filling and the posypka can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated.

Storage and reheating

Kolaches are best the day they are baked. Because of the cream cheese filling, refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave 10–15 seconds, or in a 300°F (150°C) oven 5 minutes. To freeze, wrap baked and cooled kolaches individually and freeze up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature and warm before serving.