Kolaches (Or Kolacky)

Kolaches are a Czech pastry tradition that found a permanent home in Texas and the Midwest. This version uses a rich cottage cheese and butter dough that chills for at least six hours before rolling, yielding a flaky, tender pastry that practically shatters when you bite into it.

The cottage cheese in the dough sounds unusual, but it works like ricotta in an Italian pastry. It adds moisture and tang while keeping the texture light. Mixed with a full cup of butter and flour, the result is something between puff pastry and a cookie dough.

Two filling options come with this recipe. The pineapple filling cooks down with cornstarch into a thick, sweet spread. The apricot filling simmers dried fruit with sugar, butter, and a touch of cinnamon until jammy and concentrated.

Kitchen Tips

• Chill the dough for a full 6 hours, or overnight. Cold dough rolls cleanly and the butter stays in layers, giving you a flakier pastry.
• Roll to ¼ inch, no thinner. Too thin and the dough tears when you fold the corners over the filling.
• Seal the corners firmly. If they pop open during baking, the filling leaks out and burns on the pan.
• Dust with powdered sugar while still slightly warm so it sticks.

Variations

• Fill with poppy seed paste or prune butter (lekvar) for a more traditional Central European flavor.
• Use any thick fruit preserves you have on hand. Fig, raspberry, and cherry all work well.
• Add a teaspoon of lemon zest to the dough for a brighter, citrusy note.