This delicious pastry can be filled with anything from fruit to cheese, but this recipe uses poppy seeds.
Prague hosts an annual Kolache festival, but the sweet pastry has become so popular in the USA that many American towns hold festivals too. Look out for one near you, or try making them yourself!
Ingredients Poppy seed filling
4 cups flour 1 cup poppy seeds
1 packet active dry yeast 1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 cup honey
1 cup milk 1/3 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup butter 1/3 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup sugar Pinch of cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 eggs To finish
1 tsp vanilla 1 egg
1 tsp lemon zest 1tbsp milk
Method
1 Combine 2 cups of flour, yeast and nutmeg
2 Heat the milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a saucepan until just warm
3 Add milk mixture to flour mixture and add the eggs. Mix together then stir in lemon zest and the rest of the flour. Add more flour until you’ve created a soft dough.
4 Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it and leave it to rise in a warm place until it doubles in size.
5 Combine the filling ingredients in a saucepan and cook over low heat until it thickens.
6 Punch the dough down, split into two, cover and leave for 10 minutes
7 Roll out half of the dough into a 16″x8″ rectangle (about 1/8″ thick). Cut it into 8 squares. Place a heaped tablespoon into the centre of each square. Brush the four corners of each square with water. Lift the corners up and press together. Secure with a toothpick. Repeat with the other half of the dough, then put them on greased baking sheets. Cover and let them rise until they nearly double.
8 Mix the egg and milk and brush it on the pastries.
9 Bake at 180C for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove toothpicks when they have cooled completely.