Kolaches are a staple pastry in Texas, deeply rooted in the state’s rich heritage of being an immigrant state from Czechoslovakia. Coming organically from Central Europe, this pastry has harnessed its original flavor well across bakeries and homes in Texas.
Among the many sweet, soft pastries was the Jam and Cream Cheese Kolache: a fruit preserves-filled delight wrapped in a rich cream cheese filling within.
History of Kolaches in Texas
Kolaches were introduced in Texas during the 1800s when Czech immigrants settled in that area. As such, although the traditional kolache would have often been stuffed with poppy seeds, apricot and prunes, modern Texas provides as many different fruit jams and cream cheese as you can imagine.
These dough pastries have continued to evolve over time as bakers in Texas flavor them with their local ingredients and taste adjustment suited to a regional taste.
Ingredients You’ll Be Using:
To make scrumptious jam and cream cheese kolaches, you’ll need the following:
Yeast dough: The foundation of a great kolache begins with a soft, pillowy dough, comprising yeast, flour, eggs, and milk.
Fruit preserves: Your favorite flavor is strawberry, apricot or blueberry, but feel free to use whatever jam you like.
Cream cheese filling: This rich creaminess is what contrasts a lot of the sweetness in jam.
Butter. The butter is crucial to a good golden finish.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the Dough
The base of the kolache is simple yeast dough. To do this, activate the yeast in warm milk with a little sugar and mix it together with flour, eggs, melted butter, and salt. Knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic and leave it to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
This is a time that the dough is proofing; mix the softened cream cheese with sugar, egg yolk, and some vanilla extract for your cream cheese filling. Use what you like: store-bought or homemade fruit preserves for the jam.
Now, Bake till Perfection
Place the filled kolaches on a baking sheet and let it rise again for about 30 minutes. Brush the tops with melted butter and bake in a preheated oven at 375°F (190°C) for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Finishing with Butter
Remove the kolaches from the oven and brush them with more melted butter for an overall rich and glossy look. Warm those up and dig in to the sweet, creamy goodness!
Tips for Perfect Kolaches
- Dough Consistency: it must be very soft, but not sticky. To make the dough tough, too much flour needs to be added; therefore, determination of correctness is essential in this case.
- Time to Rise: Allow the dough to rise for sufficient time. That will make your kolaches soft and fluffy.
- The most common filling would be cream cheese and jam but feel free to innovate, experiment with Nutella, custard, or even sausage and cheese for savory pastries.
Nutritional Information
Kolaches are bad, bad food; each filling- jam and cream cheese kolache – packs a 200-300 calorie punch, depending on the size and the amount of filling.
The carbohydrates and fats balance each other out so there won’t be much hunger an hour or so after consuming it.
The Texas Kolache Tradition
Kolaches aren’t just what is a pastry-they represent community and tradition in Texas. To this day, many small towns in Texas hold annual kolache festivals to celebrate their Czech heritage and taste many different kinds of these tasty treats.
Found on the family gathering table or purchased off of the shelf from a local bakery, the kolache is a big part of the Lone Star State’s heritage.
Conclusion:
This pastry is called Jam and Cream Cheese Texas Kolaches, combining the best of tradition along with flavor in one very satisfying pastry. Soft dough blended with sweet fruit jam and rich cream cheese make this a treat you’ll want to bake over and over.
With only a few simple ingredients and a little patience, you can recreate this classic Texas treat in your kitchen-to delight your family for breakfast, dessert, or as an after-school snack.