Homemade Kolache Recipe

These bakery-style kolaches are so easy you can actually pull them off in your kitchen! Light puffs of sweet, buttery dough filled with your favorite fruit fillings just like you'd find in bakeries all over West, Texas. They are best eaten warm the day they are made.

Total time for the recipe to be finished.Total Time 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

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Homemade kolaches are soft, pillowy pastries filled with fruit and they're the closest thing you'll find to the authentic Texas-Czech sweet rolls you'll find in West, Texas (not west Texas!). These aren't just holiday treats-they're an everyday Texas tradition. The buttery yeast dough bakes up light and fluffy, the fillings can swing sweet or savory, and once you've tried them warm from the oven, you'll understand why kolaches are as beloved as barbecue in the Lone Star State.

Reader Review: "I tried several recipes trying to recreate that amazing treat, and the results were pretty mediocre at best. Then I found your recipe. 👌🏻 Perfect. "

❤️ Why this Texas kolache recipe will ruin you for store-bought

• The real deal: These aren't "sorta-kinda kolaches" like you grab at a gas station. This is the legit Texas-Czech bakery experience without the road trip.
• Dough made easy: Nervous about yeast? Don't be. My tips will keep you from ending up with hockey pucks instead of fluffy pillows.
• Fill 'em your way: Cherry, apricot, cream cheese, sausage, jalapeño-basically anything that fits in dough is fair game. Be sure to see the related recipe section for specific recipes.
• Bragging rights: Serve these at brunch and watch people suddenly "need the recipe." (You can tell them it's a top secret family recipe or send them here. Your call.)
• Crowd tested: Reader after reader has said these are the most authentic kolaches they've ever made-and Texans do not hand out compliments lightly.

You can read the comments. Reader after reader agrees that theses are absolutely the most authentic Texas kolaches you can make at home!

🧾 Ingredients for fruit kolache

• Active dry yeast - The little packets you forgot were in the back of your pantry. Rapid rise works too-just dump it in with the flour and skip the whole proofing song and dance.
• Ground ginger - Not here for flavor, just here to give your yeast a boost.
• Sugar - Food for the yeast and a little sweetness for you. Everybody wins.
• Whole milk - None of that watery stuff. Warm it up so your yeast doesn't go into shock.
• Unsalted butter - Because butter makes everything taste like love (and Texas grandmas require it).
• Bread flour (or all-purpose) - Bread flour makes them extra cloudlike, but if all you've got is AP, nobody's calling the pastry police.
• Kosher salt - Big flakes, better flavor. If you're using table salt, cut back or risk making your kolaches taste like the Gulf of Mexico.
• Instant potato flakes - Yes, the box from the '80s. Trust me-they're the secret to that soft, pillowy dough. Make sure they are unflavored.
• Fruit pie filling - Cherry, apricot, blueberry, or whatever you like. Just keep it thick so it doesn't run away while baking.
• Cinnamon - For the posipka (crumb topping). Because if there's no sweet crumble on top, is it even a kolache?

✨ Grab the Kitchen Cheat Sheet!
Want the kolache backstory, pro tips, and all my "don't-you-dare-do-this" secrets in one handy printable? Download the free kolache kitchen cheat sheet and keep it next to your flour jar. It's like having me perched on your counter-minus the side-eye when you lick the spoon.

📖 Recipe

Homemade Kolache Recipe

4.63 from 29 votes

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These bakery-style kolaches are so easy you can actually pull them off in your kitchen! Light puffs of sweet, buttery dough filled with your favorite fruit fillings just like you'd find in bakeries all over West, Texas. They are best eaten warm the day they are made.

Course Breakfast Bread

Cuisine American - Southern

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Rising: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings:10

Calories:288

Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 ¼ teaspoons yeast, or 1 packet
• ▢ 1 pinch ginger, ground
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sugar
• ▢ ¾ cup milk, 110F, divided use
• ▢ 4 tablespoons butter, cut into small chunks
• ▢ 2 ½ cups bread flour, you may need up to 3 ½ cups
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ cup sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup instant potato flakes, unflavored
• ▢ 1 egg, room temperature
• ▢ 1 can fruit pie filling - your choice

Crumb Topping (Posipka)

• ▢ ⅓ cup sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 3 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

• Add the yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, and ginger to ¼ cup warm milk and set aside.
• Put the remaining milk and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until the butter melts.
• Let cool to 110F. It should feel comfortably warm to when you drop a few drops on your wrist.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment combine 2 cups of the flour with the salt, sugar, and potato flakes.
• Add the yeast mixture and the cooled milk mixture and stir until blended.
• Add the egg and blend it in.
• Add another ⅓ cup of flour. The dough will be sticky.
• Switch to the dough hook.
• Add flour a tablespoon or two at a time until the dough doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl.
• Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. It will still be a little sticky especially on the bottom.
• Remove from the mixer bowl and form into a ball.
• Rub the ball with melted butter then place it in a greased bowl.
• Turn the ball over once.
• Cover the bowl loosely with a clean tea towel.
• Let it rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.
• Punch dough down.
• Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces
• Roll into balls and arrange them 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
• Brush with butter, cover loosely with tea towels or plastic wrap, and let rise for 1 hour.
• Make indentations in the buns and fill with cheese mixture or fruit filling.
• Sprinkle with crumb mixture.
• Bake at 425F for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Watch carefully.

Crumb Topping (Posipka)

• Combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon.
• Stir in the melted butter until the mixture forms crumbs. 

Notes

Storage:

Texas kolaches are best eaten fresh - as soon as possible after they are made and definitely the day they are made. If you do hold them until the next day cover tightly and refrigerate.

You can put them in an airtight container and freeze them for longer storage of up to 3 months.

Tips:

• All-purpose flour can be substituted for bread flour
• Use an insta-read thermometer to ensure your liquids aren't too hot or too cold.
• Using too much flour or overworking the dough will make them tough.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 321mg | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 320IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

📚 Keep the carbs coming with these other kolache recipes

To me, there isn't anything better for a brunch or weekend breakfast than a sweet roll! Here are some you are sure to love -

• Cream Cheese Kolache are easy to make at home with this vintage recipe. Puffy, soft pillows of buttery dough are filled with a pool of rich, creamy cream cheese filling - honestly these might be my favorite! Sweet crumbles are sprinkled on top. 
• Jalapeno Sausage Kolaches (Klobisnek) are a staple breakfast item in my neck of the woods.

This authentic Texas kolache recipe is a keeper! I first cracked the secret to these kolaches thanks to an old cookbook I stumbled across (and added to my collection) years ago. The handwritten note in the margin said to "whip the dough" and bake in a hotter oven than most recipes call for-and just like that, I finally got that soft, pillowy texture I'd been chasing.

These homemade kolaches aren't just a holiday treat-they're an everyday taste of Texas comfort. They bake up soft, golden, and irresistible every time. One bite and you'll see why these sweet rolls deserve a spot right next to brisket and pecan pie on the list of true Lone Star staples.