Savory Kolaches

Going to the farmer's market every Saturday was one of our favorite things to do in Bloomington. While we certainly enjoyed the produce on offer, we really went for the breakfast options. Whether that was crepes and croques at Le Petit Café, Brown County Coffee, or Aahaa Chai, there was always something tasty to be found. Our all-time favorite, though, was Sweet Claire Bakery, which always had a line around the corner. It is here we were introduced to kolaches: sweet buns with lots of different filling options. More than two years after we left town, we have greatly missed them... until now. Ariel got in touch with the proprietor and got the dough recipe, and I went to work dreaming up some fillings. We were blown away with how good the results were, and I'm excited to share them.

Kolaches originated in Central Europe, like so many other delicious things, made their way to the United States with the immigrants who loved them. Czech communities have made them especially popular in Texas. From what I can tell, the original Czech version has strictly sweet fillings, but creative American cooks have moved them in a savory direction. We came up with two fillings, loosely inspired by what we remembered from the kolaches we had in Bloomington. Both types were delicious.

The first is a braised chicken I've been calling "adobo chicken," not to be confused with the grilled version I posted last summer. This was fairly similar to my pulled pork recipe, but uses chicken thighs and tomatoes. It's a little spicy on its own, but this balances out inside the bun with. The filling is rounded out with half a hard-boiled egg. The chicken turned out very well and would also be great in a taco. Because it is a saucy filling, there were some structural problems on the bottoms, so it's important to make sure they are thick enough to hold up. It wasn't too bad, but it's something to watch out for. The second emulates a classic breakfast sandwich with sausage, egg, and cheese. The main question here was how to do the eggs. I decided to make French-style rolled omelettes and put half an omelette in each kolache. This worked out very well because they hold up well while not drying out. These kolaches turned out great. The only adjustment we would make is adding a little more cheese. 

The dough recipe is reproduced from what we received from Sweet Claire. The original recipe was given in baker's percentages, with this set to make 12 kolaches. As such, the amounts are all in grams - a little unusual for this blog. A good scale is a great addition to any kitchen. We made 6 of each type of kolache. The chicken recipe makes enough for all 12 buns, so I saved half of it for later. All in all, the results were simply fantastic, and we're already looking forward to making them again and trying some different fillings. 

Ingredients

Adobo Chicken Filling

• 5 chicken thighs
• 1 small onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
• 4 tsp. Spanish paprika
• 4 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 can lager (I used Modelo Especial)
• 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 orange
• 4 oz. can mild green chilies
• 1 chipotle in adobo sauce with some sauce
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 tsp. oregano
• Olive oil
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved (1 for every two kolaches)

Breakfast Sandwich Filling

• 300 g. (about 10 oz.) bulk sausage
• 6 eggs
• 3 Tbs. butter
• Sliced cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Dough

• 268 g. whole milk
• 11 g. instant yeast
• 447 g. bread flour
• 149 g. all-purpose flour
• 100 g. sugar
• 118 g. (1 stick) butter
• 100 g. (2 large) eggs
• 9 g. salt
• 1 more egg for the egg wash

Instructions

Adobo Chicken Filling

The chicken filling is best made well ahead. I made it the night before. This recipe makes enough for 12 kolaches. Making 6, I froze the rest.

Heat some oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken on both sides, working in batches as necessary. Set aside. 

Lower heat to medium high. Add the onion and garlic. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and cumin as they cook. When softened, add the beer, tomatoes, green chilies, chipotle and sauce, bay leaf, and oregano. Squeeze in the oranges and drop in the rinds. Return the chicken and submerge. 

Cover the pan and bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Check about halfway through to rotate the chicken. When done, pull out the chicken and set aside to cool. Remove and discard the orange rinds and bay leaves. Set the pan over high heat to reduce for 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender (or transfer to a regular blender) to blend into a smooth sauce. Pull the chicken meat from the bones and discard the bones and cartilage. Shred as desired and add to the sauce. Stir to coat the meat and taste for salt. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill.

Breakfast Sandwich Filling

The breakfast sandwich filling is best made while the kolache dough is rising. Allow enough time for the fillings to cool before putting in the buns. 

Divide the sausage into 6 equal parts and form into small patties about 2 inches in diameter. They will shrink up as they cook. Cook over medium heat until cooked through and browned on both sides. Set aside.

For the eggs, work in three batches. Crack two eggs in a bowl and lightly beat. Melt 1 Tbs. of butter in a small nonstick pan over high heat. Pour in the beaten egg. Swirl the pan while quickly stirring the opposite direction with a plastic fork. Once the eggs have set, use the fork to roll up the eggs into a flat tube. Slide onto a plate and repeat to make two more omelettes. Cut each omelette in half.

Dough & Kolaches

Scald the milk (bring to about 180 degrees F.) and let cool to room temperature. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast and stir to combine. Add the flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. Mix for 4 minutes on a low setting. Add salt and mix 2 more minutes. 

Lightly oil a Ziploc bag, place the dough inside, and move around to coat. Proof for 30 minutes. Fold the dough a few times and proof for 45 more minutes. Weigh the dough and divide into 12 equal pieces. Ours were about 97 g. each. We kept the balls of dough under plastic wrap while forming each bun.

Working one at a time, press dough balls into circles 5-6 inches across, making sure they are a little thicker in the center and thinner around the edges. Place fillings on the dough and fold up the edges, forming a good seal. Turn them over so that the seam is on the bottom. Once formed, we placed the buns under more plastic wrap. The dough is quite stretchy, so it's surprising how much filling can fit inside each bun.

For the chicken kolaches, take 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture for each. I added a little salt. Put down a little chicken in the center. Place one hard-boiled egg half cut side up. Pack the rest of the chicken around and on top of the egg. 

For the breakfast sandwich kolaches, place half an omelette, top with cheese, and then with a sausage patty.

Proof the folded kolaches for 90 minutes. We did this inside the oven with the light on. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush each bun with an egg wash before baking. 

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. We did this in two batches. Let cool for a few minutes before eating. Keep leftovers refrigerated and reheat in the microwave.