Classic Kolaches (Step-By-Step Tutorial) (2024)

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These homemade kolaches feature a sweet, pillowy dough topped with your choice of filling. They’re easier to make than you think, and bound to be a new favorite breakfast!

An Easy Kolaches Recipe

These tender and sweet homemade kolaches are what breakfast dreams are made of. If you’re not familiar with kolaches, they’re little pastries with an indentation full of a sweet filling in the middle. In the United States, they’re popular in Texas, although you’ll find them in other areas with large populations of Czech immigrants. Kolaches are perfect for a breakfast treat or a sweet snack – in fact, they’re a little bit like donuts, and often sold at donut shops!

Kolaches are a yeast-based pastry, but don’t let that dissuade you from trying this recipe. They are EASY to make! With the use of instant yeast, things go quickly and you’re going to impress friends and family with your baking prowess.

Kolaches vs. Kolaczky

If you live in a region where kolaches aren’t popular, you may have read the name of this recipe and assumed it’s an alternate spelling of kolaczky! But, they are not the same thing. While kolaches originated in the Czech Republic, kolaczky are a traditional Polish treat.

What’s the difference? A kolache is soft and fluffy thanks to the addition of yeast. In many ways it resembles a small, baked donut with the filing on the outside. By contrast, kolaczky are cookies made with a cream-cheese-based dough.

Both of these sweet treats can be topped with fruit (or jam) and dusted with powdered sugar, but there’s more room for creativity with kolaches. In Texas, they even sell kolaches filled with eggs, sausage, and BBQ brisket!

What You’ll Need

The dough is made with a short list of ingredients, including sour cream, which adds a wonderful flavor and makes the dough easy to handle. Here’s a quick overview, but be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for specific amounts.

• All-purpose flour
• Instant yeast – Make sure you buy instant yeast! It works differently than active dry yeast.
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Water
• Sour cream – I recommend using full-fat sour cream.
• Unsalted butter – Using unsalted butter is important in baking; it allows you more control over the flavor of your recipe.
• Eggs
• Pastry filling – To shave off the prep time for this recipe, I used pre-made pastry filling. A 12-ounce can is perfect for this recipe. Alternatively, you can use the sweetened cream cheese filling from my cream cheese muffin recipe for something different.
• Confectioners’ sugar

How to Make Classic Kolaches

Here’s what you’ll need to do to make old-fashioned kolaches at home:

• Mix the dry ingredients. Combine flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Heat the wet ingredients. Place the water, sour cream, and butter in a medium saucepan and heat until the mixture is very warm (120° to 130°F on a thermometer).
• Combine wet and dry ingredients. Slowly pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Add remaining dough ingredients. Beat in the eggs and 1 cup flour; beat at high speed for 2 minutes, then stir in the remaining flour until a stiff dough is formed.
• Chill. Cover the mixing bowl and place it in the refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours.
• Prepare. Line 2 to 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
• Form kolaches. Divide the dough into 24 equal portions, then shape each into a ball. Transfer the balls of dough to the prepared sheets, setting them about 2 inches apart. Cover the baking sheets with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. (Don’t throw out the plastic wrap when you’re done; you’ll use it again.)
• Fill the kolaches. Make a deep, wide indentation in each ball of dough, with a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Fill the indentations with a heaping teaspoon of your prepared pastry filling.
• Let the dough rise again. Spray the plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover the kolaches again. Place the baking sheets in a warm, draft-free place until the kolaches have doubled in size. This should take about an hour.
• Bake. Preheat your oven to 350°F, then bake the kolaches for 18 to 23 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Cool and serve. Let the kolaches cool on the pans on wire racks for 5 minutes, then transfer them from the pan to wire racks to finish cooling. (Learn more: Why Every Baker Needs Wire Cooling Racks) Dust the kolaches with confectioners’ sugar if desired, then serve.

Common Questions

How to Store

While kolaches will likely be at their very best the day they’re made, they also reheat nicely. Keep any leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator, then reheat in a low temperature oven for a few minutes or in the microwave for about 10 seconds.

Can This Recipe Be Frozen?

Yes, you can freeze baked kolaches in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 2 months. Let them thaw in the refrigerator, or heat them from frozen in the microwave or oven.

More Sweet Breakfast Treats

• Cinnamon Almond Dutch Baby Pancake
• Berry Cream Cheese Pastry Swirls
• Chocolate Chip Muffin Cake