Kolaches are traditional Central European sweet breads. I adapted a recipe from King Arthur Flour and filled them with cherry jam and custard. The verdict? “Yummy!” 🙂
Makes 20
Ingredients
Dough
200g (7oz, 5/6 cup) sour cream, room temperature
100g (1/2 cup) sugar
9g (1 1/2 tsp) salt
115g (1/2 cup, 1 stick) butter, melted, room temperature
240g (1 cup) 100% hydration starter, room temperature
2 large eggs, lightly beaten, room temperature
500g (4 cups) Type 00 or all-purpose (plain) flour
Filling
16g (2 tbsp) all-purpose (plain) flour
150g (3/4 cup) granulated (white) sugar
4 large egg yolks
300ml (1 1/4 cups) milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup jam of your choice (I used cherry)
Directions
Dough
Note: I took 100g of mature starter and fed it with 70g each of flour and water then let it bubble away for about three hours before starting the dough.
Whisk together sour cream, sugar, salt and butter in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Whisk in the starter, then eggs, then add flour. Mix to combine and knead until soft and smooth, about 10 minutes by hand or 8 minutes in a stand mixer.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Remove dough from fridge, knead gently to soften and cut into 20 pieces, each about the size of a golf ball.
Place the pieces on parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving 2.5cm (1″) between them. Using your fingers, flatten the balls until they’re about 1cm (a bit less than 1/2″) thick.
Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and set aside to come to room temperature for about two hours.
Filling
Whisk flour and sugar together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Beat egg yolks in another, medium-sized, bowl. Set aside.
Heat the milk in a small saucepan. When the milk comes to the boil, remove from heat. Add vanilla, flour and sugar to the pan and whisk until there are no lumps. Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the eggs.
Return the mixture to the the saucepan. Cook over a very low heat, stirring constantly with the whisk, until the mixture thickens, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, pour into a clean bowl and allow to cool.
Preheat oven to 180°C (360°F).
Using your fingers, make a wide, deep indentation in the centre of each dough piece so they are bowl shaped.
Spread a teaspoon of jam into each and top with a tablespoon of custard.
Bake kolaches for 22 – 25 minutes, until golden. Transfer to a wire rack and serve warm or at room temperature.
pizzarossa 
G’day and YUM Rachel, true!
I don’t know why, but never heard of custard and jam in a sourdough surprise, but can SURELY go for one or two of these right now too!
Cheers! Joanne
The dough was not very sour but added a nice compliment to the sweet filling. Yum is right!
These kolache remind me of my favorite Danish and sound temptingly addictive!
Very addictive! I was inspired by Portuguese custard tarts, but Danish is definitely closer to the mark!
NO kidding! I’m wanting some for breakfast!
They look great! I am sure all that sour cream made for a very tender dough.
It was beautifully soft – I’m going to try it in other doughs, too!
Rachael, really thank you for this recipe :))))
You’re very welcome, Michela – I’m happy to be able to share 🙂
Very nice Rachael!
I absolutely love custard, they must be gorgeous.
Have a lovely day
Lou
Thanks, Lou! 🙂
Yum! Custard + kolache, yes please!
I’d send you one, Robyn, but they’re all gone! LOL!
I said “mmmmm” out loud as soon as I read “jam and custard”. These must be delicious!
LOL! My kids devoured them for breakfast – their justification was that they have eggs and fruit 😉
Yum! Love the jam and custard! They look great! Thanks for baking with us again this month! 🙂
Thanks, Jenni! Glad to be baking 🙂
Drool! Gotta try them out this way for sure!
You won’t be disappointed, Jessica! 🙂
I was probably more excited than I should have been to see that we not only picked the same recipe, but also converted it in the exact same way! Woohoo!! 🙂 Your custard/jam filling looks amazingly delicious. I wish I could have one of those for breakfast tomorrow morning! 🙂
Great minds think alike, Shelley! LOL! 🙂
I like the sour cream in the dough. And jam and custard? As you said, there’s eggs and fruit!
The sour cream made it so soft and smooth to work – lovely stuff! 🙂
Yum, custard! They look perfect.
Custard! Great idea!