Kolach

The September Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Lucie from ChezLucie. She challenged us to make a true Czech treat –Kolaches!

Quite an interesting challenge considering I've never tried kolach before. So how was it? Well, as of posting time it is still cooling on a wire rack and I only tried a little portion without the cream filling. It was a bit bland though springy and soft which makes it perfect for some sweet or creamy filling. I was intrigued by the mayonnaise in the recipe but if you think about it mayonnaise is made up of oil, eggs, and vinegar or lemon juice. These ingredients are ubiquitous in cakes and breads so I was not surprised it worked.

A number of tweaks were done in the recipe such as reducing the size of the bread itself, added more baking time, and halved the streusel topping. Otherwise, it is a great recipe as an introduction to the world of kolaches!

Prague Kolach

*Cake:
250 g  [1 3/4 cups] plain flour
7 g  active dry yeast
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
5 Tbsp milk - warmed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 egg - slightly beaten
1/2 tsp fine sea salt

*Streusel topping:
3 Tbsp plain flour
2 Tbsp caster sugar (superfine)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter - chilled

*For finishing:
1 egg - beaten

*Cream filling:
2 cups full-fat milk - divided
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup custard powder (vanilla pudding powder)
1/4 cup unsalted butter - room temperature
5 Tbsp double cream - chilled

*For cake:

1. In a large bowl, sift flour and make a hole in the middle.
2. Pour the yeast, 1 tsp of the sugar, and 1 Tbsp of the warm milk in the hole. Lightly mix the yeast, sugar and milk with a fork and sprinkle the surface with a little flour.
3. Cover the bowl with kitchen towel and let rise for 15 minutes.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and knead with dough hook or by hand until you have a smooth dough (about 10 minutes).
5. Lift the dough from bowl. Lightly flour the bottom of the bowl and set the dough on it. Cover with clingfilm or towel and let rise for an hour until double its volume.
6. Punch dough and knead a little. Form the dough into a ball and place onto a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper.
7. Press the dough with your hands to shape it to a disc about 7 inches (18 cm) in diameter and 3/4-1 inch thick (2-2.5 cm). Cover with clingfilm and let rise for 30 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 325°F/160°C/fan 140°C.
9. Brush top of the cake with the beaten egg. Sprinkle the streusel topping generously.
10. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
11. Cut the cooled cake crosswise and spread the cream onto the bottom half. Cover with the upper half.

*For the streusel:

1. Combine the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
2. Cut in the chilled butter in the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until crumbly.

*For the cream:

1. Mix 1/2 cup of the milk with the custard powder in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan mix the rest of the milk and sugar and bring to a gentle boil.
3. Add the custard powder mixture and simmer for 3-5 minutes while stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl of your electric mixer and cool completely while blending at low speed.
5. Add diced butter and beat until well mixed in.
6. Whip the double cream in a separate bowl into stiff peaks. Fold in the custard mixture into the double cream.