Holiday Open House: Kolaches

It's the last day to blog for the Holiday Open House event and I've saved my personal favorite for last. Ok, maybe it ties with Grandma B's apple pie. This particular recipe is a Bohemian one from the area my mom grew up- in memory of Mrs. Frank Paca(pronounced Potza). Forget cake, for my birthday all I ask for are kolaches!



Kolaches

1 cup potato water
1/2 cup mashed potatoes(I cook the potatoes in extra water to get the 1 cup potato water)
-I put the mashed potatoes in the blender to make sure it is smooth.
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar

Combine the above ingredients. Make sure this mixture is about 105 degrees, so the yeast you will add will work.

Add 1 tablespoon dry yeast.

Let this mixture set until somewhat bubbly.

Add 2/3 cup oil or melted and cooled butter(butter is best!)
2 teaspoons salt
2 egg yolks

Mix all this well and add about 5-6 cups flour. You want the dough to be slightly sticky. Knead until smooth. The recipe indicates it's to 'feel like a baby's bottom'. That's a little strange. But ok. I guess I do like to pinch the boobman's buns.
Let rise until double- about 40 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl, cut it in half. Let rest 5 minutes on lightly floured surface. Roll each half to 1/2 inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter. Let rise again until double. Using your thumb create an indentation in the center(this is where your filling will go). Brush with melted butter and fill with apricot jam or cherry pie filling.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or just until they start to take color. You do not want to over-bake.
When removed from the oven, drizzle with a thin butter cream frosting.

The butter cream frosting is actually just a thinned version of the frosting for Aunt E's Sugar Cookies! Add a little extra cream to desired consistency for thinning it out.

Original Frosting recipe:

2 oz cream cheese - softened
1/4 cup – softened
1/2 cup half and half
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp saltEnough powdered sugar to make thin frosting  

Would like to take a moment and thank everyone involved in the Holiday Open House event; it's been fun sharing my family's traditions and recipes with our readers. I know I'm feeling the Christmas Spirit a little early this year! Thank you!

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