Description
A must have Czech treat, these homemade blueberry Czech kolaches are made in a sheet pan, instead of their typical round dough!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Kolaches
- 2 1/2 tsp (7g) Instant Yeast
- 1/4 cup Sugar + 1 Tbsp, divided
- 4 cups Flour, plus more for kneading
- 1 cup Milk, warmed to 100-110 degrees
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
- 1 Large Egg, plus another for egg wash
- 2 tsp Grated Lemon Zest
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 4 cups Blueberries
Crumble
Instructions
- In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, add in heated milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and yeast. Gently stir to ensure all is mixed together. Set aside until it begins to foam and activate.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in remaining flour, remaining sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Stir together. With the mixer on low speed or medium low, pour in the yeast milk mixture, followed by the egg and vanilla extract. When incorporated, add in the butter a tablespoon at a time to incorporate fully. This is where it is important to use room temperature softened butter, or melted and cooled butter.
- Knead for 5-6 minutes in the stand mixer, or if you are doing it by hand, it will take about 10 minutes to form a soft smooth ball. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
- While the dough is doing it’s rise, you can make the sugar crumble mixing together the flour, sugar and melted butter. You can do this in a mixing bowl with a spoon or spatula, or the stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Place into the fridge to keep cold until ready to use.
- When the dough has risen, spray a rimmed baking sheet pan with non stick spray, and line with parchment paper if desired. (I have never had a problem with it sticking, so parchment is a personal preference.)
- Spread the dough out into the baking pan. It will likely tense up and retract, so just spread it out as far as possible, even if it doesn’t reach the corners. Cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for about 30 minutes. Then stretch, or roll dough out again if it did not the first time. You will want about a 1/2″ border around the dough.
- Create an egg wash with an egg and a tablespoon of water mixed together. Brush the egg mixture into the edges of the kolaches.
- Sprinkle the dough with the fresh blueberries in a single layer creating the 1/2″ border around the edges. Do not be shy about the amount of blueberries. Then sprinkle with the streusel topping that is cold in the fridge. It will have a mix of both large and small crumbles, this is perfect for sheet pan kolaches.
- Bake in a preheat 350 degree pan, for 30-45 minutes. 30 minutes will leave a very soft pillowy dough, and 40 minutes will get more of a tea bread doneness. The edges should be golden brown.
- Cool on a wire rack. Allow it to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Notes
Mildly adapted from The Czechoslovak Cookbook