Kolaches

RE: Kolaches (Treetop Tom)

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:58:29 GMT

Some transplanted Texans have opened a kolache bakery/ice cream parlor just down the street from us - both sweet and savory. So delicious. The cream cheese kolaches warm from the oven may be my favorite baked good ever, and that's saying something for a bread-head like me.

RE: Kolaches (HollyDolly)

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:25:53 GMT

You're right about Spring Branch. Been there many times over the years.It's on USHWY281.However the older part of Spring Branch is on the Spring Branch Road. Haven't been in the area lately ,and the area around Bulverde north of San Antonio is really growing.There is a little bakery in schertz i haven't tried yet in the old Church's Chicken on FM78. Also Royal Donuts here has kolaches, but don't know if they have fruit ones.I know they have sausage ones. These are more the bread dough type, not the flaky pastry type.

Still haven't bought anything from them yet. I should pick some up and take them to work, which is about a block away.

RE: Kolaches (tammyk)

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 03:46:43 GMT

Hi aleswench! Did you post the kolache recipe somewhere on this site? My grandmother used to purchase kolaches for Christmas every year from the Kolache Bakery that was located in Spring Branch (Houston) Texas for decades. Sadly they closed and the tradition ended. My favorites were the poppy seed and the cream cheese. I would love to have an authentic recipe that you mentioned having. Thanks.

RE: Kolaches (mayor al)

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:46:28 GMT

I can't believe we have a long thread with no photos of the topic!! Here is a tray of Kolache purchased in Wilson, KS (The Czech Capital of Kansas) and sitting in the sunlight on the dash of our truck as we plod along I-70 eastbound. No Creamcheese or poppy seeds were available this time.
These were Cherry and Apricot filled.

RE: Kolaches (Huebscher)

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 09:36:40 GMT

Yep, MY granma made the cookie type too. She was Polish. I've had the yeast type only as a Jewish Danish, around Easter. They make them in Tucson, AZ. Nevber had a yeast Kolachi anywhere else. When I lived in Chicago we only had/made the cream cheese cookie type

planojim

RE: Kolaches (buffetbuster)

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 11:31:32 GMT

Just found out there is a kolache place near me. The owner moved up from Houston and started the place. I am going to do my best to get there this week sometime.

http://www.cafekolache.com/

RE: Kolaches (Sundancer7)

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 19:35:45 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by viennadog

Wow, can't believe how many kolachki bakeries there are in Houston! What a gold mine!

My mom used to make the most incredible kolacki's and they were stuffed to the max with filling. Instead of making them round they were square and she folded each corner up towards the middle so they were sealed, so to speak. The most important ingredient was cream cheese in the dough, like the recipe link, which really gave it a wonderful flavor.

I noticed that in Houstojn but traveling with Al, The Mayor, the kolache's are all over Texas. The Czech's have seen to that. They are very good.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

RE: Kolaches (viennadog)

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:34:26 GMT

Wow, can't believe how many kolachki bakeries there are in Houston! What a gold mine!

My mom used to make the most incredible kolacki's and they were stuffed to the max with filling. Instead of making them round they were square and she folded each corner up towards the middle so they were sealed, so to speak. The most important ingredient was cream cheese in the dough, like the recipe link, which really gave it a wonderful flavor.

RE: Kolaches (pamlet)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 07:51:57 GMT

Ahhh but believe me ... it is CONSISTENTLY more humid in South Texas than Chicago... laugh... have lived both ... at least San Antonio isn't as bad as Houston w/the humidity!

I've never been a huge pork shank person... that combo plate sounds wonderful though I'd "share" the duck with someone ... hahahha... I could just eat Golabki and Pierogi all day long... I've never made my own pierogo - but I do make a mean cabbage roll!

RE: Kolaches (Sundancer7)

Sun, 05 Nov 2006 10:01:09 GMT

Kolaches must be a staple in Houston. It seems that about every bakery around serves them .

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

RE: Kolaches (pamlet)

Sun, 05 Nov 2006 08:31:27 GMT

You know I wonder if the Poles in South Texas "gave up" on their style Koloczki long ago due to humidity. I know I have a tough time making the "Good" when it's humid - which is most of the time.. laugh.. I think it's the flakiness... kind of like it's hard to find REAL crusty bread here.. It will be crusty right out of the oven ... then it goes soft..

Thanks for your review of the grocery - can't wait to read your review of the restaurant!

RE: Kolaches (shilohautumn)

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 21:09:19 GMT

Those kolaches look really yummy! Anyone know where you can find any in the greater Phoenix area, Arizona?

www.dailykitchen.com

RE: Kolaches (pamlet)

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 16:56:18 GMT

Laugh I know what you mean planojim ... except my first Texas Kolache was SAUSAGE ... boy was I freaked out!!!!

I've learned to love both though...

RE: Kolaches (planojim)

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 11:55:21 GMT

my grandmother was from the Ukraine. the kolaches she made we more like cookies. Apricot, prune (lecvar), pineapple, a poppy seed.

When I got my first kolache down here in Texas, I sent it back, thinking they had sent me a breakfast danish by mistake.

RE: Kolaches (Sundancer7)

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 16:29:41 GMT

I rented a car today from Enterprise in Houston. They were extremely courteous and offered complimentary kolaches. I brough Judi back a couple of the sausage and cheeese and ham and cheese. The bread was extremely good.

Paul E. Smith
knoxville, TN

RE: Kolaches (Texianjoe)

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 15:32:53 GMT

oltheimer,

I grew up in that part of town and the shoppe has been there as long as I can remember, it is easy to miss if you are not looking for it.

Which taqueria were you searching for? Also gone but not forgotten Burger Haus(not misspelled) around the corner on Park Place.

joe

RE: Kolaches (buffetbuster)

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 15:25:25 GMT

I have only tried kolaches one time and that was at Weikel's Store and Bakery in La Grange, Texas. It was the first place I hit on a six day trip to Texas, so I loaded up on five different flavors (six pack of each), with apricot and pineapple being my favorites. Too bad I can't get these here at home.

http://www.weikels.com/

RE: Kolaches (mayor al)

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 14:32:44 GMT

Thanks for the great followup on the Kolache situation in Texas. Those do indeed look like the Kolache Recipes that I recall from Mother's Baking efforts and the Czech festivals we have attended over hte years.

We have added the Kolache review to our Round Rock Doughnut Review that is fast approaching the BBQ Review as the Priority activity for our part of the February Glee-Club Tour coming up in just 3.5 months!! I think I better just skip Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday Feasting times, to conserve space and time for the February Anti-Lent Session!

RE: Kolaches (pamlet)

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 08:56:38 GMT

We haven't been to the Houston Ikea in YEARS ... especially since one opened in Dallas and my son's girlfriend is up there. May have to make the trip to Houston ... and then we can hit the Ikea AND the Kolache factory!!

Interesting that "Spring Branch" there is where Ikea is... to be honest someone once had described it as "very upscale" ... I'd have never thought the area around Ikea was it.. laugh...

I really don't remember the name of the cookie at HEB (can't even remember if it was a variation of Kolacki laugh I just recognized the shape) ... they're in a round container that looks like it would hold a pie ... I think they're apricot and either strawberry or rasberry filling.

One thing about the Czech ones ... I LOVE the sausage .. something we don't do on the Polish... we usually stop in West, Tx if we're up that way on I-35 ... I think it's Czech Stop we stop at .. it's a regular stop - even if we're not hungry I'll pick them up because eventually we'll be hungry.. laugh...

RE: Kolaches (cyrano)

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 01:25:33 GMT

Funny that a mention of Spring Branch (the subdivision) got into the kolache thread, because there is one of the best kolache shops in Texas, right in Spring Branch. It's Kolache Bakery (not to be confused with Kolache Factory), on Bingle, close to Long Point. I put the url for the ratings from b4ueat.com below. I no longer live in Houston but grew up in Spring Branch (the school district is still there). I've seen the place go downhill but it's making a comeback because it's quite convenient for a downtown or Galleria commute and the home prices are often amazingly low for nice neighborhoods.

But I digress. Kolache Factory is an amazing place, almost literally a hole in the wall in a strip center that looked seedy 30 years ago. But you know it's authentic because you can always find flyers for the local polka dance on the weekend.

http://www.b4-u-eat.com/houston/restaurants/reviews/rsv2180.asp

RE: Kolaches (pamlet)

Tue, 26 Sep 2006 09:51:20 GMT

If you find a Polish one you have to let us know!! Laugh...

Houston seems to have the largest active community in Texas... Apparently the Poles around SA blended in .. Panna Maria was one of the first Polish settlements here... we've been down there and couldn't find a Polish Restaurnt.. :(

Around Christmas time HEB sells a packaged cookie that is the closest I've found to a Polish Kolacki .. not exactly .. but close. It's more of a shortbread texture than the flaky Buscia made... I know Buscia's (and all the other Polish ladie's) were the very best the day they were made... the next day or so they'd get "flat" ... of course they rarely lasted more than the initial day of baking.. Laugh...

Interesting about the "Houston" Spring Branch... I've heard of it ... and have always said we'd go through there when we're in Houston - but we never remember.. (we used to drive to Houston just to get Krispy Kreme's and stop at IKEA to get the meatballs...) We have a KK now - and there's an IKEA going up in Austin... can't say I care for their furniture ... but I LOVE those meatballs...

RE: Kolaches (pamlet)

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 07:26:59 GMT

I know interesting website huh? I marked it though because it has some great recipes!!

I'm from the Spring Branch with the "official post office and zip code" It's north of San Antonio... I have to laugh ... apparently there's one near Houston that is more of a HUGE subdivision that I can tell... Our's is more of a bump in the road ... unincorporated ... most of the businesses are gas station/ice houses, the post office, a couple restaurants and septic tank businesses... oh and a couple "stone places". Just south of us toward San Antonio is Bulverde... it incorporated a few years ago and has an HEB and just this year a Home Depot... laugh...

Good food around tho' ... recently a BBQ place opened called Buck and Ozzy's... GREAT food!!

RE: Kolaches (pamlet)

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 20:12:07 GMT

Just found this thread hunting for Polish food in Texas. Unfortunately there's not much...

Having grown up in Chicago .. now living in Texas I've experienced both typed of Kolacki (Polish) or Kolache (Czech) ... Y'all have done a great job differentiating between the two!

Here's a recipe off the web that sounds a lot like my Buscia's recipe. (That's Polish for Grandma.. ) In the recipe it's made more like a thumbprint cookie .. we roll the out and fold them over .. the sprinkle with powdered sugar when they're cool. Also if you can find Solo pie filling .. that's the best .. it's thicker. The poppyseed is awsome...

http://www.ahomemadechristmas.com/recipes/kolacki.html

RE: Kolaches (mayor al)

Wed, 09 Aug 2006 15:09:23 GMT

Another great Czech Bakery is "Czech Heritage Bakery" located in Neon Square in TEMPLE TEXAS. It has been around for a long time and sure makes some good pastries.

RE: Kolaches (HollyDolly)

Wed, 09 Aug 2006 12:35:54 GMT

As far as I know,there is no Polish bakery in Panna Maria or it's sister town Czestachowa down the road. There is a place in West,Texas,as you go towards Dallas that makes kolaches,and has been mentioned even on tv I think on the show Food Finds.
I really don't think there are any polish bakeries in my area. There is Nagelins bakery in New Braunfels,Tx.that may make some.You could google their name for the heck of it.

RE: Kolaches (sugarlander)

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 15:53:59 GMT

Thanks for the replies, I'll be in Houston soon and will check. But a recipe for the flakey kind would be much appreciated.
Now I'm hungry.

RE: Kolaches (Tastytoo)

Sat, 22 Jul 2006 07:10:49 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by sugarlander

Any updated on the kind of kolaches I've had in Chicago, not the kind in Texas. The chicago kind are square and folded over a filling with powdered sugar, the TX Czech kind are bready.

I think the Oak Mill Bakery in Niles, Illinois might have them. I know they carry paczki at Lent and I would think that a place that carries paczki would have kolacky. Also try a Yahoo local search. Look for Polish bakeries. We spell it kolacky. Also I'll look for a recipe and post. We make the non yeast ones and use cream cheese instead of sour cream.

RE: Kolaches (tacchino)

Sat, 22 Jul 2006 05:43:15 GMT

My Hungarian relatives made their "kolacs" with a bread type dough, rolled up, with ground poppy seed filling. Delicious!

RE: Kolaches (CETURTL)

Sat, 22 Jul 2006 05:33:11 GMT

I grew up in Chicago and my Grandparents were from poland. Our kolaches were of the flakey pie crust type. I don't have the recipe but I remember that the dough was made from flour, butter and sour cream. I believe the sour cream and butter were of equal parts.

RE: Kolaches (mayor al)

Wed, 12 Jul 2006 20:48:11 GMT

I agree... the vast majority of the Kolache I have ever had..Home-made and purchased in various locations used a bread-based dough...not a pie-crust or 'flakey' type of pastry although I have seen a few of that type called "Kolache' in generic bakeries.. I think you are describng some other form of pastry that may be being sold in a Czech-Related or Multi-Ethnic Bakery.