Soft, round Czech pastries with a sweet poppy seed, plum or curd cheese filling — Bohemia's most beloved sweet.
Koláče are the Czech soul-food sweet: pillowy yeasted rounds filled with traditional fillings — poppy seed paste (mák), plum jam (povidla), apricot or sweet curd cheese (tvaroh) — and topped with a streusel crumb (drobenka). Made for weddings, Christmas and Sunday afternoons, they have travelled the world via Czech immigrants but remain quintessentially Bohemian.
Serves 12
Combine flour, sugar, salt, yeast. Add warm milk, melted butter, egg yolks, whole egg, vanilla and zest. Knead 10 min until soft and smooth. Cover and rise 1 hour.
Heat milk and sugar to a simmer. Add poppy seeds, butter, honey, vanilla. Cook 5 min stirring until thick. Stir in lemon. Cool.
Rub cold butter into flour with sugar and vanilla until coarse crumbs form. Refrigerate.
Divide dough into 12 balls. Place on lined trays, spaced apart. Cover and rise 30 min.
Press the centre of each ball with the back of a tablespoon to create a deep well — leave a 2 cm rim.
Spoon poppy seed filling into wells generously.
Brush rims with egg yolk. Sprinkle streusel over the filling and rim.
Bake at 180°C/355°F for 16–18 minutes until golden brown and dough is fully cooked.
Cool on rack. Dust with icing sugar before serving.
Don't skip the streusel — it adds essential textural contrast.
Cool slightly before eating — fillings hold scorching heat.
Plum filling: 300g good plum jam (povidla)
Curd cheese filling: 250g tvaroh + 80g sugar + 1 egg yolk + lemon zest
Apricot filling: 300g apricot jam
Best fresh. Keep in airtight container 2 days, or freeze 2 months. Warm briefly to refresh.
Koláče have been baked in Bohemia for over 400 years, originally as wedding cakes (the round shape symbolising the sun and continuity). Czech immigrants in the 19th century carried them to Texas and Nebraska, where koláče are now state-celebrated regional specialties.
Eastern European delis or grind whole poppy seeds in a spice grinder.
Yes — divide into 24 balls for mini koláče. Bake 12 minutes.
Per serving · 12 servings total
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