This Kolaches Recipe brings traditional sweet pastries right to your kitchen with tender dough and creamy quark filling. Nothing beats biting into a warm kolach fresh from the oven with its tender bread, rich filling, and crunchy streusel topping!
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🍞 Kolaches strike the perfect balance between Old World tradition and modern comfort, making them ideal for both special celebrations and family gatherings!
My 2 Best Tips For Making This Kolaches Recipe
Filling Preparation: Make sure your quark is at room temperature before mixing with the egg yolk and powdered sugar for easier blending. If your plum jam is too thick, thin it with just a teaspoon of rum or hot water to make it easier to spread.
Shaping Technique: When wrapping the dough around the filling, I gather the edges like a drawstring purse and pinch tightly to seal perfectly. Then I place seam-side down on the baking sheet to prevent the filling from leaking during baking.
I changed the method of making the dough to take advantage of my stand mixer. A quick tip is to add the flour gradually, not all at once. If you add all the flour at the beginning, you’ll end up with a dough that’s too dry.
Quark is a soft cheese, a little bit like cream cheese. I decided instead of buying quark at the store, which can be hard to find and expensive in my area, I would make my own. Making it at home is super easy and inexpensive.
The quark recipe I used is on Splendid Table. I used a fabulous Italian Plum Jam from Amour Spreads that I picked up at the Salt Lake Farmers Market.
This Czech kolaches recipe creates tender sweet pastries filled with creamy quark and topped with buttery streusel crumbs. You can enjoy them warm for breakfast with your morning coffee or serve them as an elegant dessert for special gatherings!
🩷 Melissa
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Homemade Kolaches Recipe – Czech Kolaches
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2 packets (4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast)
- pinch salt
- 1 cup milk
- ⅓ cup butter
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 cups quark
- 1 egg yolk
- powdered sugar to taste
- ⅔ cup plum jam
- rum or hot water to soften jam if too thick
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- dash cinnamon
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1 egg
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, combine 1 ½ cups flour, whole wheat pastry flour, powdered sugar, yeast, and salt.
- In a saucepan or microwave safe dish, heat milk and butter until warm (120°–130°F). Add to flour mixture. Blend at low speed until moistened.
- Mix in egg yolks. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed.
- Switch to the dough hook, and, on low speed, gradually add the remaining flour, adding more as necessary until dough clings to the hook and cleans the sides, but not the bottom.
- Knead 8 minutes, until smooth but still slightly sticky. Shape into a ball. Place in greased bowl, turn. Cover and let rise until double, about 60 minutes.
Prepare Quark Filling
- Mix together quark, egg yolk and powdered sugar. If necessary, thin plum jam.
Prepare Streusel Topping
- In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Mix in melted butter with a fork until crumbs form. Set aside.
Finish Kolaches
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- When the dough is risen, divide it into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, and then roll into a circle.
- Fill each circle with quark filling. Wrap it into a “purse” shape.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put each kolach onto a prepared baking sheet with seam down.
- Press each kolach in the middle. Brush it with egg wash and fill holes with plum filling. Sprinkle it with streusel topping.
- Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
- Store freshly baked kolaches in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Wrap individual kolaches tightly in plastic wrap, then place in freezer bags for up to 3 months of frozen storage.
Nutrition
How To Make Czech Kolaches
Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients in a stand mixer, then add the warm milk and butter mixture followed by egg yolks. Knead with the dough hook for 8 minutes until smooth and slightly sticky, then let rise in a greased bowl for 60 minutes.
Step 2: Mix the quark with egg yolk and powdered sugar until smooth for the creamy filling. Create the streusel topping by combining flour, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter until crumbs form.
Step 3: Divide the risen dough into 12 pieces and roll each into a circle, then fill with quark mixture and wrap into a purse shape. Place seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and press down the center of each kolach.
Step 4: Brush each kolach with beaten egg and fill the center indentations with plum jam. Sprinkle generously with streusel topping and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can use farmer’s cheese, ricotta, or even cream cheese mixed with powdered sugar as alternatives to quark. Just adjust the sweetness level to taste and ensure the consistency isn’t too wet.
You can substitute the whole wheat pastry flour with an equal amount of all-purpose flour, though the kolaches will have a slightly different texture. The whole wheat adds a subtle nutty flavor and tender crumb.
Check that your yeast is still active by proofing it in warm water with a pinch of sugar before using. Also ensure your kitchen isn’t too cold – yeast dough rises best in a warm, draft-free environment around 75-80°F.
More Sweet Rolls Recipes to Consider
Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ rating below and share it on Instagram.
Makey-Cakey
These look fantastic. I’d never made Kolaces before, but they were a revelation (although mine didn’t look quite a neat as your!)
Nicole
These look AMAZING, Barbara! p.s. I NEED Carbs.
Jessica @ Sweet Menu
Get out! Best pastries EVER! They look incredible! Seriously, I’m super impressed.
Amanda
I love everything about these pastries!
Carol at Wild Goose Tea
I have never heard of these. How come is that? Wow what a spectacular sweet bun in every way. Not only do they taste good, but they look interesting and have a cool name. It’s a good conversation starter.
Vickie S.
Oh my gosh I just adore these things and haven’t made them in a long time. Cannot wait to try this recipe!
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Vickie – so nice to know you’re a fellow kolache baker!
kristy
Gosh, just love them. Yours look as tempting. Hope you’re having a fabulous week ahead.
Blessings, Kristy
marcellina
These look amazing! Well done!
Foodiewife
You had me at “quark”. That’s what I used to make a German cheesecake. I’m lucky enough to buy it at a cheese maker we go to once a year, and freeze it. Making my own sounds like a fun experiment. These look taste, and something I think would be fun to try.
Ala
This double filling looks like a total double-threat–love the pillowy bread and this sweet share. Thanks so much for posting this, Barbara! Can’t wait to add this one to my recipe list. Have a fabulous rest of your weekend!
Asha
B, so thrilled you are still in DB!! After a long hiatus I came back for this challenge. Loved it. I made the Moravian too. they are so cute and tasty aren’t they! Your experience in making them shows!!! Yours are so perfect! gorgeous!
Medeja
Looks yummy! Would be perfect with a glass of milk!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Your kolaches look perfect mum! Hehe I love that we made the same ones 😉 xxx
Angie@Angie's Recipes
We eat lots of Quark and can’t get enough of it. These kolaches look awesome with double filling, Barbara.
Melissa @ Bless this Mess
These look fabulous! And I grew up in a small town in Indiana that had a strong Moravian congregation and was actually settled by Moravians in the 1800’s. I got excited just reading the title and I’m curious how this dish came about. I assume from their strong Eastern European heritage! Fabulous baking friend! Hope to run into to you sometime soon. Anything fun planned up north for the holidays that I should know about??
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Melissa – you should give them a try! I don’t know of any foodie things planned before the holidays. We should plan something and give you an excuse to come North!
Rosa
Beautiful and extremely tempting!
Cheers,
Rosa
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
I just visited Lorraine and between the two of you, I’m dyin’ over here. I want one of these for Sunday morning breakfast. I got a care package from the states on Friday with 4 big jars of blueberry jam made from wild Maine blueberries. I wonder if the Moravians would mind a change-up? 🙂
These look terrific.
Carol
Ohhh my …..those photos make me swoon-and drool. Your rolls look amazing, Barbara.
I learned something new today-I’ve never heard of quark…..don’t think I’ve ever seen it around these parts-I’ll have to take a peek and see if I can find it and what it costs. Sure looks easy enough to make at home so that’s good to know-thanks for sharing that link.
I bet that plum jam sent these right over the top.
Hope I can find an occasion to make these-they look so good.
Darlene Young
These sound soooo good.
2 Sisters Recipes
These rolls sound amazing Barbara! Love the plum Jam filling and I have to tell you my family would go bananas for these in the morning!