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This is the archived version of the Milk Street website and is no longer up to date.

Please visit 177milkstreet.com to see the current website with all of the latest recipes!

Kolaches

Makes twelve 4-inch buns

10½ hours 40 minutes active, plus cooling

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A kolache (pronounced koh-LAH-chee) is a rich, tender yeasted bun with a center hollow that traditionally is filled with sweet cheese and fruit before baking. Czech in origin, kolaches were brought to the U.S. by immigrants from Central Europe who settled in the Great Plains during the 1800s. We fill the buns with spoonfuls of lemon-scented sweetened cream cheese plus jam, then finish them with a dusting of crumb topping (you can skip the topping; the buns still will be delicious). Use one or multiple varieties of jam (blueberry and apricot were our favorites). So the kolaches can be served freshly baked for breakfast or brunch, we developed this recipe to be made over the course of a couple days, so plan accordingly. First, make the dough, let it rise until almost doubled, then refrigerate it (for up to 24 hours) to slow down the yeast’s activity. The next morning, shape the chilled dough, let it rise for 1 to 1½ hours, then fill and bake the buns. The kolaches are best the day of baking but will keep overnight, covered and stored at room temperature.

Makes twelve

4-inch buns

Tip

Don’t add more flour to the dough during mixing; the dough should feel sticky. When portioning and shaping it, it’s fine to dust the counter and your hands to make the dough workable, but use only as much flour as is needed. And be sure to keep the cream cheese filling and jam refrigerated until needed. Cold fillings stay in place better during baking.

10½ hours

40 minutes active, plus cooling

For the dough

  • 2

    large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks, room temperature

Directions

Reviews
Susan V.
January 1, 2026
Kolache
Made 1/2 batter, as it’s just 2 of us. They turned out great. A nice treat over the holiday weekend. Highly recommend you give it a try.
TIM F.
December 25, 2025
Wonderful buns
Cold proofed overnight in the fridge at the end of step 3 and they still worked great, even after the 24 hour cold ferment. Love the final product.
Brennah H.
December 21, 2025
First Batch
This morning was my first attempt at kolache but it won’t be my last. Very easy, absolutely delicious. Made half without the cream cheese as requested by some family and they were just as tasty. Pretty sure I underproofed this batch as they didn’t keep the well of filling but they were still light and fluffy.
Clayton H.
August 16, 2025
Best Kolaches Ever!!
Made these exactly as written and they were a grand slam to say the least. The dough is very forgiving when working with it. Also the tender bite through texture of the dough is amazing.
Jarad P.
October 6, 2024
A Huge Hit with My Czech Family
Everyone at my house raved about these lovely treats. They're beautiful, easy to make, and taste heavenly. Other recipes from some competing recipe sites only call for 1 or 2 eggs. Getting a total of 5 egg yolks made for a much richer dough. Be sure to use the best jam you can find for the filling. Lastly, I was in a rush when I started these at 7:30 am, and forgot to let them rise on the counter for 45 minutes. They still turned out fine, rising for about 10 hours in my refrigerator. Finished the baking project by 6pm, so pretty good in my estimation.

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