Answers to frequently asked questions on making homemade Texas-Czech Kolaches and Klobasnek.
Since I first shared my Texas Kolache Recipe a few years ago, many people have written me with various questions. I wanted a place to share the answers to those questions, so I created this post in my attempt to provide thorough guidance on making homemade kolaches. I will continue to update this post as new questions arise.
Included is a table of contents so that you can jump to what section you have a question on.
Ingredients
Can I use all-purpose flour?
- While I recommend bread flour as best choice, many readers have successfully made kolaches with all-purpose flour and reported that they turned out great.
Can I use butter instead of shortening?
- Yes, you can use butter instead of Crisco in the dough. I find when made with shortening they taste most like the kolaches you would find at your favorite bakery. But I make them interchangeably with Crisco or butter, whatever I happen to have plenty of at home.
Making the dough
Help! My dough is so sticky, what do I do?
- This is generally a sticky dough but first I would make sure, did you add enough flour? It can be easy to lose track. Be sure to carefully measure your liquid ingredients as too much liquid will result in a very sticky dough.
- The next thing I would recommend, is to let the dough just sit and rest for 20 minutes before stirring more. This will allow the flour to absorb some of the moisture.
- Finally, turn the dough out onto the remaining flour and start kneading. After a few minutes if it is not forming a dough and remains impossible to work with, add flour by 1-2 Tbsp. at a time until it is workable.
Can I make a double batch?
- Yes! Many readers even make a triple batch. If I'm making kolaches, I make a double batch. One for now and one in the freezer for later.
Side note: I find it to be a little bit of an arm workout to make a big batch!
Help! My dough is not rising, what happened?
- Did your yeast proof properly? If it did, go to the next question.
- With the help of some readers, we have found if you add very cold milk to the dough, it will significantly slow the rise of the dough. If you did this, you may need to proof it in the oven with the bread proof setting on.
Recipe Tip: On very cold days, I like to warm the milk and butter together to help speed up the process.
How to make kolaches ahead of time
Kolaches are very popular around Christmas. Many people want to have them Christmas Morning without having to get up in the middle of the night. There are a few different routes you can go to prepare them ahead of time.
- Refrigerate the dough after the first rise (for up to two days).
- Make the dough balls, place in the pan and refrigerate at that step. Take them out of the fridge, let them come closer to room temperature before filling them.
- When I want kolaches ready for an early breakfast, I fill them with the cream cheese or sausage and then place them in the fridge overnight. If you go with this method and are making sweet kolaches, I would wait to put the popyska topping on until just before you bake. Take them out of the fridge for 30-40 minutes before you bake. And don't forget to brush with melted butter!
How to freeze kolaches
Wrap each kolache individually in plastic wrap. Place wrapped kolache in a freezer safe Ziploc bag in the freezer.
To reheat from frozen
Remove plastic wrap and microwave for 30 seconds. Flip klobasnek over and microwave for additional 30 seconds.
For cream cheese or fruit filled kolaches, microwave for ~1 minute. Caution filling will be hot!
More kolache related posts:
- Klobasnek aka Texas Sausage Kolache
- Cream Cheese Kolaches
- Fruit and Cream Cheese Kolaches
- Cream Cheese Filling for Kolaches and Pastries
I hope that you found this post helpful and your kolaches turn out perfectly wherever you may be! While I sometimes feel conflicted about sharing kolaches online, I ultimately think that knowing how to make traditional Texas Czech Kolaches at home is something that is worth preserving.
With the expansion of Buc-ee's and Shipley's success with their own Kolaches, I predict that within the next 5 years the popularity of kolaches will significantly rise across the country.
Happy Baking!
MrsGeorgeStrait says
Hi - I’m not sure I understand the step of rolling the dough into a log. I’ve watched my aunts and they pinch off and make 2oz balls. Is a log just a faster method. Thx.
Alaine says
You can do either method - pinch off 2 oz. pieces or roll out into a log. The reason I included the roll out is for people who may not be able to easily eyeball the right size. With the log method, most people can get 12 even sized pieces. You can do whichever you prefer, I think they take about the same amount of time.