This Texas-Czech is a breakfast favorite.
It may come as a surprise that one of the most Texan dishes out there was brought to the Lone Star State by Czech immigrants. Kolaches can be sweet or savory; you might find these pastries filled with cream cheese filling, fruit filling and topped with powdered sugar.
In the 1950s, Village Bakery in West, Texas, put an even more American spin on the Czech kolache recipe with the creation of the klobasnek or klobasniky, which is a sausage kolache. It looks a little like the breakfast version of a pig-in-a-blanket, but this savory kolache recipe is so much better.
To make a klobasnek, full-size sausages the size of hot dogs are the best way to go. Choose a jalapeno sausage for an extra kick or a cheese-filled sausage for a cheesy version of this American-Czech recipe. To enjoy a Cajun-themed sausage kolache, go for Andouille sausage.
What Are the Ingredients in a Kolache?
Kolaches are essentially the healthy cousin of doughnuts and can often be found in donut shops. The kolache dough starts with a basic pastry dough like a donut: active dry yeast, warm milk, room temperature unsalted butter, large eggs, sugar, and salt, then add your and all-purpose flour. Start with the yeast and warm milk in a small bowl and let it sit and bubble for a few minutes. Add in the rest of the ingredients and knead together the yeast dough. You can use whole milk, 2%, or whatever you have on hand.
Lyndsay Burginger
A stand mixer with a dough hook makes the process much easier, but you can also mix everything by kneading it in a large bowl. Once the dough comes together, let it rise in a warm place, then divide it into 12 dough balls. Each of those sections is rolled out into a rectangle and topped with shredded cheddar cheese, jalapeño slices, and a cooked sausage link then rolled back up and placed on a baking sheet, seam-side down. Total time is only half an hour!
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the kolache on the baking sheet. While the oven preheats, let the kolache rest, then bake until golden brown. While they're going to smell amazing, give the pastries a chance to cool before you try them because they are going to be hot, hot, hot just like Central Texas!
This post was originally published on August 20, 2021.
Homemade Texas Sausage Kolache
Sausage kolaches, or more accurately called klobasniky, are a staple for hearty, on the go breakfasts throughout Central Texas.
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 1/4 tsp yeast (One packet)
- 2/3 cup lukewarm milk
- 6 tbs melted butter, cooled
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups flour
Filling
- 12 fully cooked sausage links (We like using pork)
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup jalapeño slices
Instructions
In the bowl of your stand mixer (or whichever bowl you plan on mixing everything in), combine the yeast and water. Let rest to proof about 5 minutes.
With the mixer on low, add milk, butter, eggs, sugar, and salt until evenly combined.
Add 2 cups of flour to the milk mixture and mix until blended. Add 2 more cups and mix until blended. Add the remaining 3/4 cup and continue mixing. If the dough still sticks to the side of the bowl, continue adding flour about 2 tbs at a time until the right consistency is reached.
Lightly grease the dough and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature until the dough has doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.
Punch down the dough and divide into 12 portions. Roll each into rectangles about 5 inch by 2 1/2 inch long.
Sprinkle 1 tbs cheese in a line down the middle. Layer on a few jalapeño slices, then lay on the sausage. Wrap the sausage in the dough, pinching to seal.
Transfer the kolache to the baking sheet, and place seam side down. Let rest for 30 minutes while the oven preheats to 350 F.
Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
Let cool about 20 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 196kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 8gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 384mgPotassium: 127mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 150IUCalcium: 10mgIron: 1.1mg
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FAQs
Klobasneks are much more commonly known as kolaches in Texas, but should not be confused with traditional Czech kolaches, which are also popular and are known by the same name. Klobasneks are similar in style to sausage rolls, but the meat is wrapped in kolache dough.
Why are kolaches only in Texas? ›
Kolaches are arguably one of the most popular pastries in Texas. Brought to the Lone Star State by Czech immigrants, the pastries were a weekly mainstay and snack in local households, made with sweet yeast dough with a center filled with fruits typically available in Eastern Europe.
What do they call pigs in a blanket in Texas? ›
The meat or savory part, often a sausage but not always, is wrapped in kolache dough and not croissant dough. This dish in Texas is most commonly referred to as "kolache", although traditional Czech-style kolaches are a sweet dish, not a savory dish.
Why do Texans love kolaches? ›
First, Texas has a strong Czech heritage, and many communities throughout the state still celebrate Czech traditions and culture. Second, kolaches are simply delicious and easy to eat on the move, unlike other breakfast food.
What is a real kolache? ›
Kolaches are Czech pastries made of a yeast dough and usually filled with fruit, but sometimes cheese.
Are kolaches German or Polish? ›
In fact, this staple of Central Texan gastronomy actually hails from Czech Republic, where a koláček (the diminutive form of koláč, pronounced kolach; plural koláčky) is a round yeast pastry with a sweet filling in the center!
Do kolaches exist outside of Texas? ›
While you can find kolaches almost anywhere in the United States, outside of Texas, they remain most popular in areas where Czech immigrants settled, such as Nebraska, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. But for generations, Texans have flocked to West, and especially to the Czech Stop, to satisfy their kolache cravings.
What town in Texas is famous for kolaches? ›
A Czech Immigrant Story
Brought to Central Texas and areas of the Midwest by Czech families in the late 19th century, kolaches seamlessly entered the food culture of rural communities, perhaps the most famous being the small town of West, Texas, in what is today known as the Czech Belt.
What do Jews call pigs in a blanket? ›
In Israel, pigs in a blanket morph into baby Moses in a basket, or in Hebrew, Moshe bateivah (Mo-SHEH ba-tei-VAH).
What do farmers yell at pigs? ›
For centuries farmers in the UK and around the world have used the sound “sooie” to call for their pigs when their food was ready to be slopped.
Pigs in blankets is a dish served in the United Kingdom and Ireland consisting of small sausages (usually chipolatas) wrapped in bacon.
What is a kolache with meat called? ›
One may also find a meat (particularly sausage) option in the bakery case, but mercy on your soul if you call it a kolache. It's generally accepted that any meat-filled pastry of this family is in fact a klobasnek.
What is the difference between a kolach and a kolache? ›
And just in case you were wondering: kolach is the singular in the Czech language, whereas kolache is plural. But it's not uncommon to see “kolaches” as the plural term in English language contexts, so that's not wrong (unless you're trying to speak proper Czech).
Are kolaches a southern thing? ›
This is the new world of the kolache, a food that now straddles several constituencies: the descendants of Czech immigrants, who still make the pastry in the broad swath of central Texas known as the Czech Belt; the highway commuters who have made it a coveted road food; and the artisans and entrepreneurs around the ...
What is a savory kolache called? ›
IF YOU MEET A CZECH TEXAN, he or she will politely inform you it's incorrect to use the term sausage kolache when referring to a sausage-stuffed kolache. When you scrunch up your face with confusion, the person will then kindly explain that the correct term for this savory pastry is klobasnek.
Are kolaches a Texan thing? ›
“Texans just take pride in all of our native foods,” she says. “Kolache—like queso and brisket and barbecue—is all part of that. It's just one of those things that define you as a Texan.”
What are the different types of kolaches? ›
The most common flavors are: prune, poppy seed, cream cheese, and apricot. I've also seen blueberry, cherry, and lemon. I'm willing to talk about savory kolaches with eggs, bacon and sausage, but honestly, I didn't grow up on those.
What is the real name for pigs in a blanket? ›
Pigs in blankets, kilted sausages or kilted soldiers is a dish served in the United Kingdom and Ireland consisting of small sausages (usually chipolatas) wrapped in bacon. They are a popular and traditional accompaniment to roast turkey in a Christmas dinner and are served as a side dish.
