Bake
Sausage & Pepper Kolaches
- Prep time 2 hours 15 minutes
- Cook time 45 minutes
- makes 10 kolaches or klobásník
Author Notes
Kolache are a delicious stuffed or topped bread made with a soft, slightly sweet yeast-raised dough. The pastry is Czech in origin, and different versions have long-held popularity in certain areas of the United States. For example, in Texas, there are delicious dough wrapped sausages—often called klobásník or sausage rolls. Kolache fillings can also be sweet, but I personally love celebrating them as a savory pastry. These sausage and peppers kolache are so delicious, with a bottom layer of pickly peppers and onions, and large bites of the juicy sausage of your choice.
Note: If you want to take a Texan cue and shape this same recipe as a more traditional sausage klobásník (or roll) shape, roll or press out each piece of dough into a rectangle about 3x4-inches. Scoop the pepper mixture in a line down the center of the dough, leaving ½ inch uncovered on each end. Place a whole cooked sausage on top, then wrap the remaining dough around the sausage and pinch well to seal. Egg wash, and top with cheese as directed for the kolache. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes. Or, try your hand at a simple sweet kolache instead! Skip the sausage and pepper filling, and shape the kolache dough as specified in steps 8 to 9. Spoon 2 tablespoons of lemon curd into the center. Make a batch of streusel streusel. After egg washing the pastries, sprinkle a generous handful on top of each kolache. Egg wash and bake for 22 to 25 minutes. —Erin Jeanne McDowell
Ingredients
- For the dough:
-
3/4 cup
(175 grams) whole milk
-
4 cups
(480 grams) all-purpose flour
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1/3 cup
(67 grams) granulated sugar
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2 tablespoons
(14 grams) dry milk powder
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1 tablespoon
(10 grams) instant dry yeast
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1 1/2 teaspoons
(6 grams) fine sea salt
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2
large (113 grams) eggs, at room temperature
-
1/2 cup
(113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- For filling & finishing:
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2 tablespoons
(30 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
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1 tablespoon
(14 grams) unsalted butter
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1
medium (215 grams) sweet onion, diced
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1
medium (about 250 grams) green bell pepper, diced
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1
medium (about 250 grams) red bell pepper, diced
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Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
-
5
cloves garlic, minced (about 25 grams)
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1/3 cup
(75 grams) apple cider vinegar
-
10
Italian sausages, fully cooked
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Egg wash: 1 large (56 gram) egg + 1 tablespoon (15 gram) water + pinch of kosher salt
-
1 1/4 cups
(125 grams), packed, sharp cheddar cheese
Directions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium-low heat until it reaches about 110°F/45°C. Remove from the heat.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix the flour, sugar, dry milk, yeast, and salt on low speed to combine. Add the warm milk, eggs, and butter and mix for 4 minutes. Raise the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until visibly puffy, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat until the butter is fully melted. Add the onion and peppers, and season with salt and pepper.
- Sauté until the onions and peppers are very soft, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the vinegar and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the vinegar reduces and the mixture appears somewhat jammy, 2 to 3 minutes more. Cool to room temperature.
- Slice each sausage into about 6 thick pieces (or, if you want to shape as a whole sausage klobásník, see headnote). Make the egg wash by whisking the egg, water, and a pinch of salt together to combine. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- When the dough has risen, shape the kolaches: Evenly divide the dough into 10 pieces (about 95 grams each). Gently round each piece of dough, and place on a lightly floured work surface. Cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, use your fingers to firmly press each round down. Start pressing more firmly in the center to help make that portion of the dough thinner than the outer edges. Continue to press until the dough widens to a round about 4 inches/10 cm across. Transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheets.
- Lightly spray the bottom of a ramekin (or ½ cup measure) with nonstick cooking spray, and press it into the center of each round to further deepen the center indentation. Cover the baking sheets with greased plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes, then press again with the ramekin or measuring cup.
- Heat the oven to 350°F/175°C with the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Egg wash the outer edge of the dough, then spoon a heaping 2 tablespoons of the pepper mixture into the center. Arrange the sausage slices, slightly overlapping, over the center of the peppers in an even layer. Repeat until all the pastries are egg washed and filled.
- Divide the cheese evenly between the kolaches, piling on top of the sausage. Transfer the pans to the oven, and bake until the cheese is melted and the pastries are golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving warm, or serve at room temperature.
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