I love pastries of all kinds, and when I came across this recipe for cherry kolaches back in the summertime I knew I had to make them. I kept putting it off, weather was too hot to be baking, etc. One setback led to the other, and by the time I got around to actually making them I couldn’t find the magazine they were in. Finally found it in a stack upstairs yesterday, and made them. They were great!
My only experience with kolaches previous to this had been of the savory variety. When visiting my mother-in-law while she was living in Texas (they’re a favorite there), we got them for breakfast one day. A every-so-slightly sweet dough, filled with a meat of some kind, eggs, and cheese. Yum!
These are definitely much different. The yeasted dough is still slightly sweet, topped with a cherry topping, then baked. After cooling, a glaze is added to the top of the pastry. I wish I had waited a little longer to drizzle the glaze onto the kolaches. They were still warm, and the glaze got a bit runny. But, it was still delicious! They’d probably also be great with powdered sugar on top instead.
Cherry Kolaches
1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
3/4 cup warm 2% milk (110 to 115 degrees)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 vanilla bean pod, split and seeds scraped out (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
4 tablespoons 2% milk
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, shortening, salt, nutmeg, eggs, and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Add enough flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Divide in half; shape each half into 12 balls. Place 3 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Flatten each ball to a 3-inch circle. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Make a depression in the center of each roll; add a rounded tablespoon of filling. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over rolls.
Source: slightly adapted from Taste of Home, April/May 2011