I absolutely love traditional recipes that have been passed from one generation to the next. They truely survive the test of time and you can guarantee they will be absolutely delicious! Czech Kolaces are one such recipe. The base is an enriched dough and they can be filled with a variety of sweet things such as fruit or jam. They can also be small or large, which is another thing about traditional recipes, every family has a different version. So why not find your favourite! As Czech Kolaces originated as desserts at Czech weddings, their perfect pairing is with a drink of course. Budweiser Budvar lager is brewed in the Czech Republic using 700 year old traditional methods and local ingredients. If you want to steep yourself in Czech tradition, then crack open a Budvar and learn how to make these delicious treats - you won't regret it!
This post is sponsored by Budvar. All opinions are my own.
To learn more about the kolaces watch this beautiful video that Budvar have made!
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Traditional Czech Kolaces
To make the dough, warm up the milk in a pan until it is luke warm. Add the yeast and caster sugar, then cover it with cling film and leave it for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, uncover it and add the egg yolks and melted butter and whisk it all together. In a mixing bowl, stir the flour together with the salt. Pour the milk mixture into the flour and mix until a dough forms. Cover it with cling film and leave it in a warm place to prove for 1 hour.
To make the cheesecake filling, whisk the cream cheese, caster sugar, lemon zest and egg yolk together. Then fold in the whipped egg white. Back to the dough, cut it in half. With one half, make the smaller kolaces by rolling it out then cutting out rounds with a cookie cutter. Use the bottom of a glass to make smaller ciruclar indentations in the dough.
Fill the indentations with the cheesecake mixture, and add a few blueberries too. Glaze them around the edges with beaten egg. Bake them for 20 minutes until risen and golden. I also made some with blackcurrant jam in the middle instead and a sprinkling of the crumble on top.
With the other half of the dough, roll it into a rectangle and spread it out on a lined baking tray. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top, followed by blueberries and rum soaked cherries, then finally sprinkle the crumble all over. Glaze the edge with beaten egg. Bake it for 20-25 minutes on until golden brown.
I made the Czech Kolaces whilst I was round at my friend's house and they went down an absolute treat. It was so relaxing to chat and bake with a few Budvars, then enjoy the Czech Kolaces warm from the oven! I shared the beer out with my boyfriend and friends too. They really enjoyed drinking it with the Czech Kolaces, and I heard several poorly pronounced shouts of "Na zdraví!" - which is cheers in Czech!
The Czech Kolaces filled with jam were my favourite and they're also the easiest to make. I really liked the big traybake version too as it's less time consuming than cutting out rounds. However, the little rounds would be perfect for a party! The bread was soft and light, and the fillings sweet and fruity.
Troubleshooting
If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!
Recommended equipment & ingredients*
- Baking tray
- Mixing bowls
- Kitchen scales
- Fast action yeast
- Cooling rack
- Dough scraper
- Round cutters
- Rolling pin
- Silicone mat
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Small Czech Kolaces with Blueberries & Cheesecake or Jam
Ingredients
For the dough
- 500 g Plain flour
- 75 g Caster sugar
- 75 g Butter melted
- 250 ml Whole or semi-skimmed milk
- 3 Egg yolks
- 7 g Sachet of fast action yeast
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ Lemon zest only
For the cheesecake filling
- 250 g Full fat cream cheese
- 60 g Caster sugar
- 1 Egg yolk
- 1 Egg white whipped
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- ¼ Lemon zest only
Other toppings
- 50 g Blueberries
- Jam
For glazing
- 1 Egg beaten
Instructions
- To make the dough warm up the milk in a pan until it is luke warm
- Add the yeast and caster sugar, then cover it with cling film and leave it for 10 minutes
- After the 10 minutes uncover it and add the egg yolks and melted butter, and whisk it all together
- In a bowl stir the flour together with the salt. Pour the milk mixture into the flour and mix until a dough forms. Cover it with cling film and leave it in a warm place to prove for 1 hour
- While it's proving, make the cheesecake filling,
- Pre-heat your oven to 180C Fan/200C/400F/Gas Mark 6
- Once the dough is proved, flour your work surface and roll it out to 4-5mm thick. Cut out rounds using a cookie cutter
- Use the bottom of a glass to make indentations in the dough
- Fill the indentations with the cheesecake mixture (or jam if using), then add a few blueberries too. Glaze them around the edges with the beaten egg
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown
- Allow to cool, then serve with a cold Budvar!
Nutrition
Ingredients
For the dough
- 500 g Plain flour
- 7 g Sachet of fast action yeast
- 75 g Caster sugar
- 75 g Butter melted
- 2 egg yolks
- 250 ml Whole or semi-skimmed milk
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ Lemon zest only
For the kolace crumble
- 40 g Butter
- 40 g Caster sugar
- 70 g Plain flour
For the topping
- 25 g Breadcrumbs
- 300 g Blueberries
- 12 Kirsch soaked cherries
For glazing
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- To make the dough warm up the milk in a pan until it is luke warm
- Add the yeast and caster sugar, then cover it with cling film and leave it for 10 minutes
- After the 10 minutes uncover it and add the egg yolks and melted butter, and whisk it all together
- In a bowl stir the flour together with the salt. Pour the milk mixture into the flour and mix until a dough forms. Cover it with cling film and leave it in a warm place to prove for 1 hour
- While it's proving, make the kolace crumble. Put the butter, caster sugar and plain flour in a bowl and rub it all together until it resembles breadcrumbs
- Pre-heat your oven to 180C Fan/200C/400F/Gas Mark 6
- Once the dough is proved, flour your work surface and roll it into a rectangle, then spread it out on a lined baking tray
- Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top, then the blueberries and the kirsch soaked cherries, then finally sprinkled the crumble all over. Brush the edges with the beaten egg
- Bake it for between 20-25 minutes until it is golden brown
- Allow to cool, then slice and serve with a cold Budvar!
Jhuls | The Not So Creative Cook
These are indeed so pretty and delicious! Thanks for sharing and it is so fun to see you again, Kat! Happy Fiesta Friday and enjoy your weekend!
thebakingexplorer
Thank you Jhuls! Hope you had a great weekend too!
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder
Absolutely delicious! Wonderfully nostalgic recipe for me, one that takes me home. I pretty much grew up in my grandma's kitchen and she would bake gorgeous sweet yeast buns with variety of toppings very similar to kolaczce, our Polish version 🙂 We never used to flatten the dough with the roller though, must be Czech thing 🙂 I miss baking with fresh yeast, used to absolutely love the smell! x
thebakingexplorer
I'm so glad that this brought back some memories for you! Another reason why I love traditional recipes like this 🙂
Monika Dabrowski
These look so appealing, I absolutely love pastry with yeast, and that cheese jammy filling must be delicious! Thank you for bringing your lovely recipe to #CookBlogShare:)
thebakingexplorer
Thanks Monika, the filling were so tasty! I used blackcurrant jam which is a favourite of mine 😀
Corina Blum
These look delicious and I love anything with cheesecake or a crumble topping so either variation would make me happy. Thanks so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice
thebakingexplorer
Thanks Corina, I agree, I would happily eat all of them!
Zeba Durrani
This is a lovely post, love the pastry and throughly enjoyed the video showing the traditional way of making these. Love that you are keeping the tradition alive. Look great and thanks for sharing on Fiesta Friday!
thebakingexplorer
Thanks Zeba! Isn't the video so beautifully shot? I'm pleased you enjoyed it 🙂
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain
Ooh these sound (& look) absolutely delicious I love the idea filling a lovely yeasted dough with a cheesecake type mixture topped with lovely berries! Pinning.
Angela x
thebakingexplorer
Thanks Angela! I love this idea too and I'll definitely make them again 😀
Jennifer @ Because Food Is Love
I've never heard of these before, they look delicious! I love pasties, especially when they involve fruit and cheesecake. Thanks for sharing!
thebakingexplorer
Fruit and cheesecake are always a winning combination! Thanks Jennifer!
debbie
wow Kat!! these look great!! Something I've never come across before - but it sounds like my kind of baking!! 🙂 definitely one to pin for a lazy Sunday I think 🙂
thebakingexplorer
Thanks Debbie! Yes, they are perfect for a lazy Sunday!
Tabitha
Wow, these look amazing. Definitely not something a lot of people will have tried before but well worth a try!
thebakingexplorer
Thanks Tabitha! They are worth giving a try, the results are so delicious! 🙂
Wendy
My first apartment out of college was in a Czech neighborhood in Chicago. I had never heard of kolaces, but soon learned to love them from the neighborhood bakery! I've never tried making them at home, but your recipe looks wonderful, so I think kolaces will be a weekend project at my house. Thanks!
thebakingexplorer
That's so wonderful to hear Wendy, I'd love to visit a Czech bakery! I hope you enjoy making these kolaces!
Cat
Never heard of these before but they look so delicious. Really like the different variations, they look so pretty x
Nico @ yumsome
You can keep the Budvar - koláče goes so well with čerešňovica! Your pies look so lovely, I could dive right in. 🙂
Na zdravje! (That's Slovenian!)
#CookOnceEatTwice