Kolaches

Ingredients:

• 3 and ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 180ml lukewarm milk
• 2 and ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
• ⅔ stick unsalted melted butter (75 g)
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 1egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence or paste
• pinch of salt

Cream cheese filling

• 100g cream cheese
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp pure passion fruit juice
• 50g icing sugar

Strawberry Jam

• 175g fresh strawberries or a can of strawberries
• 2 tbsp strawberry jam
• 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 40g sugar
• 250ml water

Steps:

Heat up the milk for 30 seconds in the microwave or just until lukewarm, ensure it’s not hot. Add a tsp of sugar and the yeast. Stir together and set aside.

In a bowl sift the flour, add the sugar, pinch of salt, egg and melted butter and the milk and yeast mixture which at this stage should be frothy. Mix everything until it forms a dough, then knead for 10 mins until the dough is smooth. Let it ride for 2 hours.

Once the dough has risen, knock it down, divide the dough into pieces and form balls. Leave it to rise for another hour. Then use a glass to flatten and form a well in the middle of the dough.

For the cream cheese filling, combine all ingredients and whisk until you have a smooth consistency.

Strawberry Jam: combine all ingredients in a pot and let it simmer on a medium heat until the consistency has reduced and thickened. Let it cool.

Add the cream cheese mixture in the wells you made in the kolache dough, then add the strawberry mixture on top.

Brush the edges of the kolache with egg wash, then bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

Dust with icing sugar and enjoy!