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Kolache

These kolache (Kolaches/Koláče) are a delicious sweet vegan pastry using a light, sweet dough, filled with a poppy seed- and vegan cheesecake filling and topped with a streusel topping! This recipe is dairy-free, eggless, and can be made gluten-free and nut-free!
Course Dessert
Cuisine Czech
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 7
Author Michaela Vais

Equipment

  • Electric coffee/spice grinder*

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 1 1/4 cup (150 g) flour (see notes for gluten-free version)
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) dairy-free milk warm
  • 3 tbsp (35 g) sugar (see notes)
  • 2 tbsp (30 g) oil
  • 1 tbsp (10 g) fresh yeast or 1 tsp (3 g) dry yeast (see instructions)
  • 1 pinch of salt

Poppy seed filling:

Vegan cheesecake filling:

Crumble:

  • 2 tbsp (16 g) flour
  • 1 tbsp (7 g) powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tbsp (7 g) vegan butter or margarine

Instructions

Make the dough

  • Please measure all ingredients in grams (use my written measurements) on a kitchen scale for exact results. Also, watch the VIDEO for visual instructions.
    Mix the warm milk (about 40 C / 104 F) with the yeast and 2 teaspoons of sugar in a small bowl and let it sit for a few minutes.
  • Add the flour to a medium bowl, along with the rest of the sugar and the salt. Pour in the yeast mixture and the oil. Mix well with a wooden spoon and then knead with your hands for a few minutes until a smooth dough is formed. If using dry yeast, you will need to add a little more milk.
  • Form the dough into a ball, return it to the bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Poppy seed filling

  • Grind the poppy seeds in an electric spice grinder or blender, then place all ingredients in a saucepan or skillet, heat and let simmer for a minute. Set aside.

Vegan cheesecake filling

  • Place all ingredients in a small blender and blend until the mixture is smooth and lump-free. You can also use a stick blender.

Crumble

  • To make the crumble, simply mix all ingredients in a small bowl with your hands until the texture is crumbly. Set aside.

Shape the dough

  • Divide the dough into 7 pieces (40 g each) and shape into round "cookies". Dust the bottom of a glass with a little flour and then place it in the center of the round dough pieces. Apply pressure and flatten the dough in the middle, forming an edge on the outside.
  • Brush the edges of the dough with a little plant-based milk (mixed with a small pinch of turmeric) and place them on a lined baking sheet. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).

Add fillings and bake

  • Spread about 2 teaspoons of the poppy seed and also of the cheesecake filling on each of the pastries and decorate with almonds (see step-by-step photos in the blog post). You can also fill the pastries with jam/marmalade if you like. Plum jam is well suited. Also, sprinkle with the crumbles.
  • Bake in the oven at 180 C (350 F) for 15-18 minutes. The edges should be lightly browned. Enjoy warm!

Notes

Video Of The Recipe

 
  • Sugar: For the yeast mixture, you should use 2 teaspoons of regular sugar to activate the yeast. The remaining amount can be coconut sugar or Erythritol.
 
For the gluten-free version use the following ingredients:
  • 120 g rice flour
  • 40 g chickpea flour
  • 40 g tapioca flour, or arrowroot flour
  • 60 g plant-based milk, warm
  • 40 g sugar, of choice
  • 30 g oil
  • 10 g fresh yeast, or 1 tsp (3 g) dry yeast
  • 1 pinch of salt
 
  • Use the same method as mentioned above.
  • The gluten-free pastries need to be baked about 4-5 minutes longer, and you should use about 50 g of dough per pastry, as they don't rise as much as the regular ones.
  • The total time doesn't include resting time.
Nutrition Facts
Kolache
Serving Size
 
1 kolach
Amount per Serving
Calories
278
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
8
g
12
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
5
%
Carbohydrates
 
47
g
16
%
Fiber
 
2
g
8
%
Sugar
 
19
g
21
%
Protein
 
5
g
10
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.