WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST? FRUIT KOLACHES

Some of my favorite memories growing up is going to get fruit or sausage kolaches with my family on a trip or on a Saturday morning. Houston and other areas of Texas like the Hill Country have large German and Czech communities so it seems that you can find kolaches on every corner like it seems that there's a Dunkin' Donuts on every street corner in Boston.

Today I made a homemade cream cheese-lemon filling, homemade blackberry preserves and homemade strawberry-rhubarb-orange preserves.

Kolache dough

makes 24

2/3 C and 1 T and 1 t warm milk

1/2 package dry yeast

2 T and 2 t white sugar

2 T and 2 t shortening

1 t salt

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 C and 3 T flour

Pour milk over yeast and let dissolve. Add sugar, shortening, salt, egg, yolk and flour. Stir until well combined. Remove dough to a well oiled bowl and turn once to coat the surface. Cover and place in a warm spot. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour.

Prepare Fillings and topping desired and set aside until ready to use.

Dish out dough with a tablespoon and roll into bolls. Let rise until doubled in bulk. Flatten balls and make a depression in the centers. 

Fill with filling. You can use the filling recipes below or use fruit preserves. 

Allow to rise. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. 

Cream Cheese Filling - my favorite!

16 oz cream cheese

2 egg yolks

1/2 C sugar

1 grated lemon rind

1 t vanilla

Soften the cream cheese.

Beat remaining ingredients together with cream cheese.

Posypka Topping

1 C sugar

1/2 C flour

1/2 t cinnamon

2 T melted butter

Mix all ingredients together until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Poppyseed Filling

1 1/2 C poppy seeds

1 C sugar

2 C milk

2 T butter

1 T flour

Combine poppyseeds, sugar and milk, and cook over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken.

Add butter, then flour which has been dissolved in a little bit of water.

Cook, stirring constantly until poppyseed is done, at least 30 minutes.

Allow to cool before use.

Leftover filling can be frozen.

Cabbage Filling

3 C grated cabbage

1/8 t pepper

1 oz butter

1/2 C sugar or more

1/3 t salt

1 t flour

Fry the cabbage in the butter until soft.

Add the salt, black pepper, sugar and flour, and fry until golden brown, being careful not to burn.

Prune Filling

12 oz dried pitted prunes

1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 C sugar

1/2 t grated lemon or orange rind

Place the prunes in a bowl and cover them completely with boiling water.

Let them sit overnight (or at least 6 hours) to rehydrate.

Drain the liquid off and mash prunes thoroughly with a fork or run them through a food processor.

Add the cinnamon, sugar, and lemon zest.

Mix thoroughly.

Apricot Filling

10 oz package dried apricots

1 1/2 C sugar or more

Cook a 10 ounce package of dried apricots slowly in enough water to cover until fruit is soft and water is cooked out. Do not cover or fruit turns dark. Add 1 1/2 cups sugar or more to taste and mash with a potato masher until well blended.

Cottage Cheese Filling

1 pint dry curd cottage cheese

8 oz cream cheese

pinch salt

1 egg yolk

1/2 C sugar

1 grated lemon rind

1/2 t lemon juice

Mix all ingredients together until blended.

If cheese is too moist, add very finely rolled crackers, about 10 or 12 to absorb liquid.

If using country-style cottage cheese, cream cheese can be omitted or used for added flavor, according to taste.

If using cottage cheese as a filling, be sure to enclose cheese in the dough.

Spread dough balls out, place cheese in the middle and pinch all sides together to seal completely.

Place sealed side down on the greased pan and butter the pastry.

Let rise until light, sprinkle with posypka topping and bake.