Apricot Kolaches with Curd Cheese and Almond Crumble

Step-by-step method

At a glance

You're building fluffy, yeast-raised kolaches that take some time but reward you with that nostalgic homemade bakery smell—the key is letting the dough rise twice and pressing the centers thin without tearing them. The real magic happens at the end when you brush the hot pastries with Amaretto butter, so definitely don't skip that step.

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Mix the dry ingredients

Sift the flour with a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Add the caster sugar, dried yeast and grated lemon zest, then stir together while still dry.

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500 gram
All-purpose wheat flour

1 gram
Salt

100 gram
Granulated Sugar

10 gram
Dried Yeast

1 piece
Lemon
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Add the wet ingredients

Make a well in the mixture and pour in the lukewarm milk. Add the room-temperature egg yolks and the lukewarm melted butter.

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250 milliliter
Fresh Whole Milk (3.5% Fat)

2 piece
Egg Yolk

120 gram
Unsalted Butter
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Knead the dough

Combine everything and knead thoroughly. Using a stand mixer with a dough hook, knead on medium speed for about 13 minutes. The dough should be smooth, springy, and should not stick to the sides of the bowl.

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Let it rise

Lightly oil the dough and the bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1.5 hours, until doubled in size.

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1 teaspoon
Sunflower Oil
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Shape the balls

Turn the risen dough out onto a work surface and divide into 15 equal pieces (about 60 g each, or smaller at 45–50 g if you prefer). Roll each piece between your palms into a smooth ball and arrange them, spaced apart, on baking trays lined with parchment paper.
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Let them rise a second time

Cover the balls loosely with a kitchen towel on the tray and let them rest for an hour. This will make it easy to shape a thin centre afterwards.
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Make the curd cheese filling

In a bowl, combine the curd cheese, ricotta, egg yolks, icing sugar, vanilla sugar and cornflour. Whisk until smooth and creamy.

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250 gram
Full-Fat Curd Cheese

250 gram
Ricotta

2 tablespoon
Powdered Sugar

1 teaspoon
Vanilla Sugar

1 teaspoon
Cornstarch
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Prepare the buttery crumble

Put the flour, sugar and cold butter, cut into cubes, into a bowl. Add the almond flakes and cinnamon. Rub everything together with your fingers until it forms buttery crumbs.

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150 gram
Coarse Wheat Flour

150 gram
Granulated Sugar

150 gram
Unsalted Butter

30 gram
Sliced Almonds

2 gram
Ground Cinnamon
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Cut the apricots

Pit the apricots and cut them into wedges or quarters. If they're on the tart side, dust them lightly with sugar.

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600 gram
Apricot
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Shape the wells

Preheat the oven to 180 °C (top and bottom heat). Once the balls have relaxed, press the centre of each with your fingers or the floured base of a glass until almost paper-thin, leaving just a puffy rim about 1 cm wide.
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Fill the kolaches

Brush the rims with beaten egg. Spoon curd cheese filling into the centre and spread it over the thin base. Arrange the apricots on top of the curd cheese, then generously cover everything with the crumble.

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1 piece
Chicken Eggs
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Bake until golden

Put the trays in the oven and bake for about 15–20 minutes. Keep an eye on them — they're done once the edges turn golden and the crumble is nicely crisp.
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Brush with Amaretto butter

While the kolaches are still hot, brush the edges with melted butter mixed with a splash of Amaretto. Let them sit for a moment to soak in, then serve.

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50 gram
Unsalted Butter

2 tablespoon
Amaretto

Apricot Kolaches with Curd Cheese and Almond Crumble

Name: Fluffy Apricot Kolaches with Almond Crumble
Prep time: 43 min
Cook time: 31 min
Total time: 219 min
Yield: 15
Cuisine: Czech
Ingredients: 250 gram Full-Fat Curd Cheese; 1 teaspoon Cornstarch; 30 gram Sliced Almonds; 2 piece Egg Yolk; 250 gram Ricotta; 250 milliliter Fresh Whole Milk (3.5% Fat); 1 piece Chicken Eggs; 2 gram Ground Cinnamon; 150 gram Coarse Wheat Flour; 1 gram Salt; 320 gram Unsalted Butter; 500 gram All-purpose wheat flour; 1 teaspoon Sunflower Oil; 150 gram Granulated Sugar; 1 piece Lemon; 2 tablespoon Amaretto; 2 tablespoon Powdered Sugar; 600 gram Apricot; 1 teaspoon Vanilla Sugar; 100 gram Granulated Sugar; 10 gram Dried Yeast

everydaybyyumsto

Prep 43 min Cook 31 min

Plus 2 h 15 min of resting (not counted in active time)

21 Ingredients

13 Steps

Hard Difficulty

What's in it?

605 kcal

Calories

62 g

Carbohydrates

36 g

Fats

25 g

Proteins

The nutritional information is an estimate and may vary based on the specific ingredients used.

About this recipe

Craving a true summer classic that fills the whole kitchen with the same smell as at grandma's house during the holidays? I've put together soft, fluffy yeast-raised kolaches where the gentle tartness of fresh apricots meets a rich curd cheese filling. Our tried-and-tested ratio of ingredients, with a splash of melted butter, keeps the dough beautifully soft and pillowy. The whole thing is topped off with a crunchy layer of proper buttery crumble studded with almond flakes. And a touch of Amaretto and butter brushed on after baking? That's the secret finishing touch that takes these to the next level, so we really recommend not skipping that step.

Vegetarian High-protein Desserts Czech

Step-by-step method

At a glance

Mix the dry ingredients

For this step

Add the wet ingredients

For this step

Knead the dough

Let it rise

For this step

Shape the balls

Let them rise a second time

Make the curd cheese filling

For this step

Prepare the buttery crumble

For this step

Cut the apricots

For this step

Shape the wells

Fill the kolaches

For this step

Bake until golden

Brush with Amaretto butter

For this step

Apricot Kolaches with Curd Cheese and Almond Crumble

Ingredients — what you'll need

What's in it?

About this recipe

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