Kolache Heaven

I will be travelling up to Dallas again this week, which means I will be passing the good old "Czech Stop" bakery in West, Texas. Nancy and I have always enjoyed stopping off here to sample their delicious and famous Kolaches, so I've been searching for ways to replicate these travel stop treats. The problem was that all the Kolache recipes I found were super high in fat (which is why I try not to stop in West anymore) and filled with fruit, whereas I prefer the sausage filling. So I experimented a little and came up with the following which I think is pretty darn close to the original and super easy to make. The bread is wonderfully soft, infused with the flavor of the Kielbasa sausage and the cheese coats everything perfectly. Enjoy.


Mark's "Wild West" Sausage and Cheese Kolaches
(makes 8 to 10)

Dough
2 to 2.5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup warm milk
1 tsp instant yeast
2 Tbsp sugar
1 extra large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt

Filling
1 "Healthy Ones" fully cooked skinless Polska Kielbasa sausage (or similar)
Deli sliced Colby Jack or your favorite sliced or shredded cheese
Sliced jalapenos (optional - seeded or otherwise, to taste)

Instructions
In a mixer fitted with the paddle combine yeast, milk, sugar, flour, egg, oil and salt. Once the dough starts to come together knead by hand for 10 minutes. Cover and leave to rise until doubled - about an hour.

Punch it down and break into 8-10 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.

Slice the sausage lengthwise and cut each half into 8-10 pieces.

Flatten each ball of dough into a roughly oval shape. Put 2 pieces of sausage, some cheese and jalapenos into the oval, fold it over and seal. Tuck the two ends underneath and seal also. Place the Kolache seam side down on a crumpled foil lined cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Brush the Kolaches with olive oil or milk before putting them into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve warm.