Step 1

Activate the yeast: In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup milk until lukewarm. Pour 2 and 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast and a teaspoon of sugar into the milk. The sugar will encourage the yeast to activate. Stir with a spoon and leave it in a warm place for about 10-15 minutes until foam forms on the surface.

Step 2

Melt the butter: Meanwhile, melt 2/3 stick unsalted butter, which should be semi-liquid but not hot. The fastest way to melt butter is to microwave it for 30 seconds.

Step 3

In a mixing bowl, add 3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla paste, melted butter, and activated yeast with milk.

Step 4

Make the yeast dough: Roughly combine all ingredients in a bowl with a fork. Turn the mixture out onto a floured work surface and use your hands to work it into a smooth, elastic dough. If the dough is too sticky, dust it with a tablespoon of flour and continue kneading. Repeat until the dough is no longer sticky.

Step 5

Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for 40 minutes.

Step 6

Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide it into equal parts. If you have a kitchen scale and want kolache the same size, weigh each piece on the scale. The weight of a piece of dough for one pie is around 1 and ½ oz (45 g).

Step 7

Shape each piece of dough into a ball. Place it on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Leave enough space between the balls so that the cakes don't touch and bake into a square later. The classic Czech kolach is round!

Step 8

Let the dough balls rise in a warm place for another 40 minutes. Cover the dough with a clean tea towel if you leave the dough to rise on the kitchen counter.

Step 9

Time to shape kolache! We need to create a beautiful round kolach and create a depression in the center for the filling placement. Take a round-bottomed vessel about 3 inches in diameter, such a glass. I used a ½ measuring cup. Wrap the bottom with a clean dish towel so that there are no creases. Press the wrapped vessel evenly into the dough with light pressure from above. The kolach is stretched out wide and round, and an indentation is made in the middle for the filling.

Step 10

In a shallow bowl, beat 1 egg using a fork and create an egg wash. Brush it over the edges of the kolache pastries.

Step 11

Now, place the filling in the middle of each kolach. Just about 1 to 1.½ tablespoons per kolach are enough. If you like, sprinkle the cakes with streusel topping.

Step 12

Let's bake kolache! Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Place the sheet with kolache in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are golden brown.