Kielbasa Kolache with Roasted Garlic and Cheddar

When I finally found a recipe to make kolaches, my eyes saw dollar signs.  Not stars. Dollar signs.  The thought of all the money this would save me floated through my head and made me grin heartily.  The bakeries in my immediate area offer a small variety of breakfast choices: donuts, biscuits, and kolache. Always one for a donut when I skip my morning yogurt/granola combo, I steadfastly ignored the kolaches as I satisfied my sweet tooth.  One day, I walked into the bakery and decided I wanted something savory and took a gamble with the sausage kolache. Immediately, I was hooked.  Ever since, I’ve watched my money go out my car window and into their drive-thru window in exchange for one of these breakfast bites.

So I started a search for a dough recipe to make kolache.  The King Arthur website came through for me with a recipe that looked within my skill set and included simple ingredients.  To make the dough, you will need the ingredients listed below.  Cup measurements from the original recipe were weighed to provide the dual measurement version below.

• 1 container (8 oz) of sour cream, which equates into just about 1 cup
• 1 4oz stick of butter for the dough
• 1 tablespoon or so of butter, melted
• 1 packet of active dry yeast (in the silver cup), 5/16 oz (or .875 grams)
• 2 large eggs (not shown)
• 4.4 oz of sugar (1/2 cup)
• .30 oz of kosher salt (1 1/2 tsp)
• 4 oz of room temperature water (1/2 cup)
• 2o – 24 oz of unbleached white flour ( about 4 cups)
• 1 package (16 oz) of your favorite smoked sausage, each link split in half and cooked (pan-fried, baked, or boiled)
• 1 garlic clove, diced finely
• 1/4 package of shredded cheddar cheese

For the measurements, you can work this recipe two ways.  Either measure all ingredients first (mise en place) or measure as you go.  We’ll follow the second option through this recipe, only measuring out the flour separately.

As well, be aware that this dough needs to refrigerate over night, while you are at work, or for some other period of 8-10 hours that you can find.  This isn’t a mix-and-bake recipe.  But it was so, so worth the time it took.

We start the recipe by prepping a few of the ingredients for mixing.

• Take out your refrigerated sour cream and heat it in a microwave-safe bowl for a few minutes until it is about room temperature.  Heat the sour cream in increments (30 seconds, little rest, another 30 seconds) so you don’t really cook it.  You just need it to warm up from refrigerator cold.
• Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl.  Alternately, you can leave the butter out overnight, in a covered container, until it gets to that melty stage.
• Add the packet of active dry yeast to a cup of room temperature water and let sit for 10 minutes.  This will proof the yeast.  The yeast should bubble and begin to foam.  If it doesn’t, you need a new package of yeast. (The picture above is right after I placed my yeast into the cup.  After 10 minutes, the whole cup was a murky, yeasty, foamy concoction).
• Measure out the flour.  I started with 20 oz, but as you’ll see as we go through the recipe, I had to add in flour to the end, resulting in about a 20 – 24 oz yield of flour in this recipe.  Start with 20 and work up from that point.

Place the mixing bowl on a scale.  Add the container of room temperature sour cream and the melted butter.  Tare the weight on the scale to bring it back to zero.  Measure into the bowl 4.4 oz (about 1/2 a cup) sugar.  With a spatula, mix these ingredients together.  If you used your microwave to melt your butter, allow the ingredients to sit until room temperature, in other words until the butter is no longer hot.  Eggs are added next and too-hot butter will cook them.

Add two large eggs, the 1/2 cup of water/yeast mixture, and a portion of the flour.

Attach the mixing bowl to the stand mixer.  Since this is a bread recipe, the dough hook is also needed.  Set the mixer to its lowest setting, allowing the dough hook to incorporate the ingredients.  As the flour is mixed into the wet ingredients, gradually add the remaining flour.  As you add the flour, the dough will become thicker and the speed of the machine needs to be increased.

After all flour was added, I found the dough to be too sticky.  I added 1 tablespoon of flour at a time to try to solve this problem, resulting in 5 additional tablespoons of flour added to the mixer.  It helped the dough pull away from the side of the bowl, but not completely.  Not achieving the result I wanted, I knew it was time for some manual labor.

On a pastry mat, I sprinkled 1 tablespoon of flour.  Scooping the dough from the mixing bowl, I set it atop the sprinkled flour, then added another tablespoon of flour.  The dough needed a bit of kneading by hand and another small sprinkle of flour to get that smooth dough feel.  What you’re looking for is something very similar in consistency to the School House Rolls made two weeks ago.

Once kneaded, the dough should be placed in a lightly greased mixing bowl to rise.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.

After rising in the refrigerator, divide the dough for kolaches (sorry about the blurry picture here).  While I prepped the dough for kolache, I cooked the filling.  Kolaches bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  One pound of split smoked sausage links were baked on this setting for 10-12 minutes.  This allowed me enough time to divide and roll out the dough and preheat the oven while cooking the filling.  I love multitasking!

Separate the dough into same-weight portions equal to the amount of links cooked.  To create same weight portions, weigh the dough ball on a scale.  Divide the weight by the number of cooked links.  The resulting number is the weight of dough needed for each link.  The dough pictured above weighed approx. 42 ounces.  If you prefer not to measure, divide the dough as equally as you can.

Roll each portion of dough into a ball then flatten. Place the flatten pieces of dough on a baking sheet, or other portable, flat surface and cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap.  Allow the dough to rest for 10-15 minutes.  The dough portions are going to go through a very short second rise.   Don’t forget to check the links of sausage baking in your oven.  If done, remove the pan from the oven and drain the links (if necessary) on paper towels to remove excess grease and allow them to cool.

Once rested, roll each dough portion to a 1/4 inch thickness.  Be sure to rub a light layer of flour on your roll pin to prevent the dough from sticking.  Once rolled flat, wrap the kolaches.  You have two wrapping choices.

Wrap #1: Place one of the cooked links in the center of the flattened dough.  Fold each side of the dough over the link.  Smooth all edges.

Wrap #2: Cut the flattened piece of dough in half.  Then….

Wrap the dough around one end of the link.  On the diagonal, continue to wrap the dough around the link creating a twirled wrap.  Pinch closed each open end of the kolache.

Place all wrapped kolaches on a greased baking sheet.  Melt one tablespoon of butter and use it to brush the tops of each kolache.

Kolaches are now ready to bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.  Alternately, you can flavor the outside as well.  I chose to sprinkle sharp cheddar cheese and finely diced garlic on the top of these kolaches.

Bake kolaches for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F, until the dough is lightly browned and the cheese is well melted.

Cut one in half to look at all that glory.  This picture doesn’t do these justice.  They were wonderful.  I actually brought this first batch to work and told my employees kolaches were available for anyone who wanted to try one.  Five minutes later, all kolaches were gone except for two that were eaten at lunch time.  Before I could blink, these things were gone…”gone pecans” as my Dad would say.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I enjoyed making kolaches for the first time.  Now, time to pull one out of the freezer for breakfast tomorrow morning.

Happy baking, everyone!  ~Jenn of Not Exactly Bento

A few notes about this recipe:

• If you like, kolaches can be frozen after baking, stored in the freezer for 2-3 weeks.  Reheat in a toaster or conventional oven at a low temperature to resurrect a “just baked” texture.
• If you own a bread machine, you can mix this dough in its bowl and use the machine to knead the dough for you.  Be sure that the size of your bread machine can handle the size of this dough.
• Sometimes a full-sized food processor can be used to mix and knead dough.  Simply place ingredients into the food processor’s mixing bowl.  Use the pulse function to mix and knead the dough.  You may need to take the dough out to knead the last bit by hand.

Variations on flavoring this kolache:

• Use a flavored chicken sausage in place of a fattier pork sausage.
• Instead of cutting sausage links completely in  half, slice open only half way.  Stuff the link with your choice of items: cheese, jalepenos, etc.  Once stuffed, wrap the dough around the link.
• Vary your type of cheese: sharp cheddar, pepperjack, colby, etc.
• Consider adding herbs to the dough to complement how you’ve flavored the kolache.

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Kielbasa Kolache with Roasted Garlic and Cheddar
from the King Arthur website

Ingredients:

• 1 container (8 oz) of sour cream, which equates into just about 1 cup
• 1 4oz stick of butter for the dough
• 1 tablespoon or so of butter, melted
• 1 packet of active dry yeast (in the silver cup), 5/16 oz (or .875 grams)
• 2 large eggs (not shown)
• 4.4 oz of sugar (1/2 cup)
• .30 oz of kosher salt (1 1/2 tsp)
• 4 oz of room temperature water (1/2 cup)
• 2o – 24 oz of unbleached white flour ( about 4 cups)
• 1 package (16 oz) of your favorite smoked sausage, each link split in half and cooked (pan-fried, baked, or boiled)
• 1 garlic clove, diced finely
• 1/4 package of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

• In a microwave-safe dish, bring sour cream to room temperature by heating slowly in microwave (30 second increments, spaced apart).
• In a microwave-safe dish, melt butter.
• Add a packet of active dry yeast to a cup of room temperature water and let sit for 10 minutes.  Yeast should bubble and foam.
• Measure out 20 oz of unbleached white flour into a bowl (not your mixing bowl).
• Place a mixing bowl on a kitchen scale. Add the container of sour cream and the melted butter to the bowl.  Tare the weight.
• Measure into the mixing bowl 4.4 oz (about 1/2 a cup) sugar.  Mix ingredients with a spatula.  Be sure butter has cooled sufficiently before proceeding to next step.
• Add the following ingredients to the mixing bowl: two large eggs, 1/2 cup of water/yeast mixture, and a portion of the pre-measured flour.
• Attach the mixing bowl and dough hook to a stand mixer.  On the lowest setting, mix the ingredients.
• As the ingredients mix, gradually add the rest of the flour.  The dough will become thicker and the speed of the machine needs to be increased, eventually to a medium-high setting.
• Allow the stand mixer to knead the dough until a smooth, springy dough forms.  Dough should not stick to edges of the bowl.  If the dough is too sticky, add one tablespoon of flour at a time until the correct consistency is reached.  It may be necessary to remove the dough from the mixing bowl to a floured surface and complete the last bit of kneading by hand.
• Once kneaded, the dough should be placed in a lightly greased mixing bowl to rise. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.
• After rising in the refrigerator, divide the dough into same-weight portions equal to the amount of kolaches you wish to make.
• Roll each portion of dough into a ball, then into a flattened disc. Place the flattened pieces of dough on a lightly greased baking sheet, or other portable, flat surface, and cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap.
• Allow the dough to rest for 10-15 minutes.
• Once the rested, roll flat dough portions with a rolling pin to a 1/4 inch thickness.
• Wrap dough around a cooked sausage link.
• Place all wrapped kolaches on a greased baking sheet. Melt one tablespoon of butter and use it to brush the tops of each kolache.
• If desired, top each kolache with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and finely diced garlic.
• Bake kolaches in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Kolaches will turn a light brown color.
• Once baked, remove kolaches from oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before eating.
• Enjoy!