Pineapple Kolaches

When I first purchased the Pastry Queen cookbook, I noticed the recipe for kolache right off. The photo looked like a yeast bun of some type. They looked familiar but I wasn't sure if I had ever had it before. Silly me! I have even made Kolaches before with a cheese filling and a dry apricot filling. When I made them before, I thought they were a danish but not so sweet or sticky. I think it was the filling in a yeast bread. I went back to my old cookbook and sure enough I had made them before. It was a bread machine cookbook. I know I made this before because I write a comment in my cookbooks of recipes I have made. I need to know if it is worth making the recipe again.

This weeks Project Pastry Queen was picked by Emily of She Makes and Bakes. Please check out the other member's variation since this recipe is so adaptable with some many different fillings. I will be trying this recipe again with a different filling. This time I used pineapple since I had it on hand. Since the recipe makes so many buns (yields about 18 buns), I made some sandwiches with ham and sharp cheddar. They aren't too sweet but very light.

Kolaches
Dough:
2 cups milk
1 (1/4 oz.) package dry yeast
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
8 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Filling:
1 oz. can crushed pineapple in its own juice
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Streusel Topping:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until it begins to steam and forms a skin. Do not boil.
2. Allow the milk to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes and the temperature of the milk has registered about 110 degrees F.
3. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and allow it to set for 5 minutes.
4. Microwave the butter until it has melted. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. 
5. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, salt, and melted butter.
6. Add the cooled milk and the yeast mixture.
7. Gradually, add the flour to the batter, 2 cups at a time.
8. With a wooden spoon, mix the flour with the wet ingredients with a light touch.
9. Keep adding flour until the dough begins to hold together and is incorporated. The dough will be sticky, moist, and light.
10. Lightly grease a large bowl with cooking spray.
11. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
12. Let the dough rise for 1 to 2 hours. 
13. Punch down the dough until it deflates. 
14. Cover the bowl again with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours or overnight.
15. To make the pineapple filling: combine the pineapple with the cornstarch in a small saucepan. Over medium heat, cook the pineapple for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. 
16. Stir in 2 Tbsp unsalted butter. Set aside.
17. Grease a 12x17 inch baking sheet with cooking spray.
18. With lightly greased fingertips, shape the dough into 2 1/2 inch diameter balls. Arrange the dough evenly onto the baking pan, 3 across and 6 down.
19. Make a generous indentation into the each ball of dough. Do not pierce the bottom of the dough.
20. Mound about 1 heaping tsp. of pineapple filling into the dough indentation.
21. Cover the dough balls with a clean tea towel and allow to rise about 1 hour and the dough has almost doubled in size.
22. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
23. To make the streusel topping: in a food processor, mix the flour, sugar, and the butter until crumbly.
24. Scatter the streusel topping generously over the dough balls.
25. Bake the kolaches for about 25 to 30 minutes and lightly browned on top.
26. Allow the kolaches to cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from Rebecca Rather of Pastry Queen cookbook. 

Did you already know...
-Kolaches are individual pastries that originate from Eastern Europe.
-They typically have a fruit or cheese filling.
-They are often eaten at Easter or Christmas time.