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240ml milk
180g butter
60g caster sugar
dash of salt
1 free range egg
720g flour
1 sachet dried yeast
Filling
150 g fresh fruit
30g sugar
7g cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Poppy seed filling: see bottom of page
Optional: icing sugar
In the Czech Republic Kolace's are the most popular sweet buns. They are buns with a jam (or a fruit in syrup) filling. For the fillings often are used dried apricots or dried plums but you can make Kolace's with all kinds of fruit. We use our fresh Dutch summer fruit today: strawberries; cherries; raspberries and apricots. The Czechs also love a poppy seed filling, the recipe can be found below.
You need two days to make Kolace's, here's how to do it
Day 1 - we make the dough and the filling.
Melt the butter in the milk.
Stir the yeast into the flour.
Mix the two combined.
Mix 30 sec. low, 3 minutes high.
Tip the dough on a baking mat.
Knead by hand and cover with cling film.
Place the dough overnight in the fridge.
Peel the apricots and remove the stones.
Boil the fruit with the ingredients until thickened.
After the sugar has melted cook for 2-3 minutes more.
By cooking another 2-3 minutes the cornstarch binds.
Make the cherry filling in the same way.
Let the fruit cool completely before it goes into the fridge.
Cover the bowls and stack them until tomorrow.
That was all for today, everything is stacked neatly in the fridge until tomorrow.
Day 2 - the filling and baking of the buns.
The dough has doubled in volume overnight. It sticks a bit to the bowl.
Roll balls of 60g dough and make a dent in the middle with a small glass.
Preheat the oven on the lowest temperature then turn it off.
Preheat the oven to 175°C
Cover the buns with two clean dishcloths.
Allow the buns to rise 1-2 hours, press in the dent.
Brush whipped egg on the kolace's and fill them.
Bake the buns in 12 - 15 minutes golden.
Brush a little apricotjam on the fruit to make it shine.
Serve the buns with a cup of freshly brewed tea.
For those interested: 40 grams of poppy seed; 60 ml of milk; 40 grams of sugar; 15 grams of butter; 1/2 tablespoon honey; a pinch of salt; 1 egg yolk and 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- Pulse poppy seeds fine in a blender. Put milk, sugar, butter, 1/2 honey salt in a saucepan.
- Set the pan over medium heat and melt the butter then remove the pan from the stove.
- Beat 1 egg yolk lightly. Stir slowly half of the milk mixture into the yolk.
- Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and stir to combine.
- Put the pan on again and let the mixture thicken.
- Remove the pan from the stove, add the poppy seeds and lemon zest.
- Pour the filling into a bowl, cover it and let it cool at least 2 hours max. 2 days.
Dobrou chut!