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Easy Cream Cheese Kolache Recipe

Kolache is a famous Czech pastry which is made from a soft and rich dough, shaped into a small disc with indentation in the middle. The center is filled with some kind of sweet filling, often made from dried fruit and/or cheese. 

The common fruits that can be used for filling are apricot, prune and poppy seed.

Kolaches make for an impressive and delicious breakfast, dessert, or snack.

czech kolache

Ingredients needed

To make the bread dough

  1. All purpose flour/Bread flour: 3 cups (loosely packed)or 390g
  2. Warm Milk 1/2 Cup or 120 ml; If you don’t want to add milk, you can use plain water instead.
  3. Warm Water 1/2 cup or 120ml
  4. Unsalted Butter (softened)1/4 Cup or 57g
  5. Sugar 2 and 1/2 tbsp or 32g
  6. Salt 1 tsp or 6 g
  7. Yeast (instant /active dried yeast) 1tsp or 3 g

For the filling

  1. Cream Cheese :8 ozor 226g
  2. Sugar: 1/4 cup or 50g
  3. Vanilla extract/vanilla powder 1/2 tsp
  4. 1 Egg Yolk or 2 tbsp flour

How to make cream cheese kolache

It is so easy to make this cream cheese kolache.The overall process from preparing the dough to baking the kolache will take only less than 2 hours .

cheese kolache recipe

How to prepare the kolache dough

Into a bowl add the warm milk and water, sugar,salt,yeast and softened butter and combine everything together.

Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature and the milk and water should be preferably warm(not hot).It should be ideally around 100 F or the warmth of the milk should be like a baby food,we should not be able to feel the hot but a comfortable warmth.

cream cheese kolache

Yeast cells will die if it is in high temperature(130 F and above) and it’s action will slow down in a cold environment(less than 70 F).

Then add in the flour into this mixture and combine them together to form a shaggy mass of dough.

czech kolache

If you are kneading the dough in a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment to knead the dough.

If you are kneading the dough by hands, transfer the dough on to a clean work surface and knead the dough for a few minutes(6-8 minutes)until it form a smooth dough.

The dough may feel sticky in the beginning, thats ok,(that’s the way it should be); you may be tempted to add more flour but don’t do that.The dough will come together in about 5 minutes of kneading.

kolache ingredients

First Proofing (30 minutes)

Shape it into a ball ; then flatten it a little and then cover it with a bowl or kitchen towel and let the dough rest on the counter for thirty minutes.This will let the dough sit for a few minutes so that the gluten stands will relax.

This resting will prevent our dough from enormous rebounding back of the dough while rolling it into a thin rectangular sheet.

Divide and Shape the kolaches

So for the next step of shaping the rolls, first we need to roll the dough into a sheet (1/2 inch thick).

Then using a cookie cutter or with the open mouth of a glass ,cut rounds (about 2 1/2 inches in diameter).

cream cheese kolache

Place the dough rounds onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

homemade kolache

Second Rising(45 minutes)

Then cover and allow the dough discs to rise for 45 minutes.

Prepare the cream cheese filling for kolache by mixing cream cheese ,sugar and vanilla powder or vanilla extract.

When the dough discs are puffy, use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup to press a deep indentation into the center.Press firm and deep;or otherwise the cream cheese filling will overflow during baking.

easy kolache recipe

Brush the surface of the rim with an egg wash, so that they will get a golden brown colour and shine after baking.

kolache cream cheese filling

Fill the center with a mixture of cream cheese,sugar, and vanilla(1 and 1/2 to 2 tbsp).

Now our kolache dough discs are ready to go into the oven for baking.

Bake the kolaches

So Bake at 375 F or 190 C for 18-20 minutes.

kolache recipe

Baking duration may vary according to the thickness of the kolache.The more thick the kolache the more baking time will it require.

After baking you will get softest kolaches filled with cream cheese.

Watch the video to see how easy it is to make Cream Cheese Kolache

czech kolache

Cream cheese kolache recipe

Cream Cheese Kolache is a famous Czech pastry which is made from a soft and rich dough, shaped into a small disc with indentation in the middle. The center is filled with some kind of sweet filling, often made from dried fruit and/or cheese. 
5 from 5 votes
Prep Time 18 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Proofing time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 51 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, Czech
Servings 18 Cream cheese kolache

Ingredients
  

For the dough

  • 390 g All purpose flour/Bread flour 3 cups (loosely packed)
  • 120 ml Warm Milk 1/2 Cup If you don’t want to add milk, you can use plain water instead.
  • 120 ml Warm Water 1/2 Cup
  • 57 g Unsalted Butter (softened) 1/4 Cup
  • 32 g Sugar 2 and 1/2 tbsp
  • 6 g Salt 1 tsp
  • 3 g Yeast (instant /active dried yeast) 1tsp

For the cream cheese filling

  • 226 g Cream Cheese 8 oz
  • 50 g Sugar 1/4 cup
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract/vanilla powder
  • 1 Egg Yolk or 2 tbsp flour

Instructions
 

Prepare the dough

  • Into a bowl add the warm milk and water, sugar,salt,yeast and softened butter and combine everything together.
  • Then add in the flour into this mixture and combine them together to form a shaggy mass of dough.
  • If you are kneading the dough by hands, transfer the dough on to a clean work surface and knead the dough for a few minutes(6-8 minutes)until it form a smooth dough.
  • The dough may feel sticky in the beginning, thats ok,(that’s the way it should be); you may be tempted to add more flour but don’t do that.The dough will come together in about 5 minutes of kneading.

First Proofing(30 minutes)

  • Shape it into a ball ; then flatten it a little and then cover it with a bowl or kitchen towel and let the dough rest on the counter for thirty minutes.This will let the dough sit for a few minutes so that the gluten stands will relax.
    This resting will prevent our dough from enormous rebounding back of the dough while rolling it into a thin rectangular sheet.

Divide and Shape the kolaches

  • So for the next step of shaping the rolls, first we need to roll the dough into a sheet (1/2 inch thick).
  • Then using a cookie cutter or with the open mouth of a glass ,cut rounds (about 2 1/2 inches in diameter). 
  • Place the dough rounds onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Second Rising(45 minutes)

  • Then cover and allow the dough discs to rise for 45 minutes.
  • Prepare the cream cheese filling for kolache by mixing cream cheese ,sugar and vanilla powder or vanilla extract.
  • When the dough discs are puffy, use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup to press a deep indentation into the center.Press firm and deep;or otherwise the cream cheese filling will overflow during baking. 
  • Brush the surface of the rim with an egg wash, so that they will get a golden brown colour and shine after baking.
  • Fill the center with a mixture of cream cheese,sugar, and vanilla(1 and 1/2 to 2 tbsp).
    Now our kolache dough discs are ready to go into the oven for baking.

Bake the kolaches

  • Bake at 375 F or 190 C for 18-20 minutes.
    Baking duration may vary according to the thickness of the kolache.The more thick the kolache the more baking time will it require.

Video

Keyword cream cheese kolache recipe, czech kolache, kolache recipe
Recipe Rating




Des

Thursday 18th of January 2024

Made these they taste amazing.Thank you

Bincy Chris

Saturday 20th of January 2024

Hi Des, I am so happy to hear you made this kolaches and they turned out really well.Thank you for taking your time to write back me and for rating this recipe.

Mary

Friday 30th of June 2023

Thanks so much for your clear instructions. I had tried to make these before but failed - I think it worked this time bc of your explanation of how warm the milk and water should be. I made them last night and they were really good! Thanks so much for your recipe!

Bincy Chris

Friday 7th of July 2023

My pleasure. Hi Mary,I am so happy to hear you made this kolache and they turned out really well. Thank you so much for taking your time to write back me and for rating this recipe.

Maria Copenhagen

Monday 6th of February 2023

Hi! What brand of flour do you use?

Bincy Chris

Saturday 11th of February 2023

Hi Maria,I have used all purpose flour with 10% protein. We can use bread flour or all purpose flour with protein 10% or more.

George

Friday 22nd of July 2022

We made this cream cheese kolache and they were super delicious.Thanks a lot for this easy recipe.

Bincy Chris

Sunday 7th of August 2022

Hi George,I am so happy to hear you made this kolache at home and they turned out really well.Thank you for taking your time to write back me.

Tee

Wednesday 29th of June 2022

Lovely recipe! Can these be frozen?