Kolaches improved

Kolaches are yeast-dough pastries with a variety of filling options. The one above has poppy seeds.

The fourth of July has turned into a day to not only celebrate our country’s independence, but as an occasion to make something out of the ordinary. It has become tradition at our house to make a pastry on certain holidays, when dad has the day off and no one is in a hurry to go anywhere -– such as New Year’s, Labor Day and Memorial Day.

July 4 was about kolaches, the second go-around. I made the baked pastry that resembles a Danish once before, using a recipe printed in Saveur magazine. This time I worked off one from cookbook author and restaurant owner Rebecca Rather. Rather, who oversees Rather Sweet Bakery & Café in Fredericksburg, Texas, holds a special meaning for me and my mom, Sue. We saw Rather when she came to Sur La Table for a cooking demonstration in Newport Beach eight years ago.

She did a class on peaches, which included recipes for peach chutney and fried pies, which is on our to-do list this summer. Rather’s Texas background goes hand-in-hand with kolaches, since that’s where they appear to hold a sizable appeal.

Making kolaches is not an easy task. This is one of those recipes where you must let the dough rise. It’s best to make the dough the night before. You’ll still need to wake up earlier than usual to allow the kolaches time to rest after filling with whatever you like. A poppy seed or ricotta filling, both found in Rather’s book The Pastry Queen, or jam, will do.

The first time I made kolaches with jam, but this time I opted for the ricotta and poppy seed versions. After two tries, I’ve found kolaches to be on the drier side. That’s just the way they are;  not quite as moist as a muffin or coffee cake. But Rather’s recipe yielded more tender, flavorful and moist kolaches. The outside has a thin crust and the inside has a slight chew, reminiscent of sourdough.

You can make kolache dough the night before and let it sit in the refrigerator. Then the next morning, fill and bake them for a breakfast treat.

The recipe makes a ton. I halved it and still made out with just less than 20 kolaches. It’s OK because I froze them on the sheet pan, then stuck them in a plastic bag, where they now sit in the freezer.

The most satisfying part of baking is the process itself.  But I wouldn’t trade the last part – eating — for the world.

A Rather Sweet Bakery worker said they make 12 kolaches during the week and 30 on weekends. This is for  the omelet version, one of the bakery’s top sellers.

This is one instance where the effort is as much about the payoff – a yeasty roll filled with whatever you like. That’s sweet.

Click here for a kolache recipe posted on the blog, Homesick Texan.

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