At a glance
You're making delightfully pillowy yeasted kolaches filled with tangy curd cheese and fresh apricots, topped with a crunchy almond crumble. The real magic happens when you brush the hot pastries with Amaretto butter straight out of the oven — a step that's definitely worth the extra minute. The dough needs two risings and some careful shaping, but the result is worth every bit of the effort and aroma that'll fill your kitchen.
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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 mix everything together while still dry.
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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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Work the dough
Bring everything together and knead thoroughly. Using a stand mixer with the dough hook, knead for about 13 minutes on medium speed. The dough should be smooth, elastic, and should not stick to the sides of the bowl.
How it went
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Tips from the Yumsto kitchen
Why it works
Curd cheese plus ricotta makes a creamier, less crumbly filling than curd cheese alone. Cornstarch sets it in the oven so it doesn't run. The center of each kolache is pressed almost paper-thin so the filling doesn't sink and the rim puffs up around it. Crumble made with cold butter stays crisp as it bakes.
Tips
If your curd cheese is wet, drain it in a sieve first. Dust tart apricots lightly with sugar, as the method suggests. Brush the rims with egg carefully so it doesn't run onto the paper and glue the kolaches to it. Brush the hot rims with the Amaretto butter; it soaks in quickly.
If something goes wrong
Filling ran out: the curd cheese was too wet, or there was too much of it. The centre puffed up: it wasn't pressed thin enough. Tough dough: under-kneaded, or too much flour added while shaping.
Substitutions
Replace the ricotta with curd cheese, 500 g in total; the filling will be tangier and slightly drier. Skip the Amaretto and brush the rims with melted butter only. Plums work instead of apricots. Leave out the almonds for a plain butter crumble. Anyone allergic to nuts should skip the Amaretto too.
Storage
Let the kolaches cool and refrigerate them within 2 hours. Finish them within 2 days. Cooled kolaches also freeze; warm them briefly in the oven before serving.
Common questions
Can I use fresh yeast?
Yes, about three times the weight of dried, so roughly 30 g. Crumble it into the lukewarm milk.
Why should the yolks be at room temperature?
Cold yolks chill the lukewarm dough, and it rises more slowly.
Can I make them smaller?
Yes, the method itself mentions 45–50 g instead of 60 g. You'll get more and they bake faster; watch the rims.
Can I use frozen apricots?
Yes. Thaw and drain them first, or they'll leak juice into the filling.
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