Texas Style Kolache Recipe (Klobasnek)
This delicious Texas style kolache recipe, or klobasnek, is a soft, slightly sweet dough stuffed with sausage and cheese! A classic Texas breakfast.
Okay, first things first. These are not real czech kolaches. Technically, they are klobasnek. As Texas Monthly put it, If It’s Not Sweet, It’s Not a Kolache – It’s a Klobasnek. But, it’s what is commonly known in Texas and for the sake of search-ability I have named it kolache.
So please don’t come at me in the comments, I promise I know what is and isn’t a kolache.
I’ve been in the PNW for almost a year now. There are a few things I miss about Texas – late night runs to Whataburger, HEB and decent Tex Mex food. Thankfully, I have been able to recreate my favorites up here or find a decent alternative. But for a while there was something that still eluded me – soft, pillowy donuts and sausage kolaches.
If I close my eyes, I can still imagine walking into a Shipleys at 6am… the air so sweet it’s almost like you can taste it.
I haven’t mastered the donut yet, but I am so pleased with today’s recipe. It tastes just like the sausage kolaches I remember.
It is a little laborious, but it is one of love. This dough requires two proofs, but it’s easy enough to set aside and get a few chores done or enjoy an hour of TV.
These tools aren’t totally necessary, but I promise they will make your life a whole lot easier. Get yourself a decent rolling pin (and ditch the wine bottle you’ve been using for the past 6 months), a dough scraper, parchment paper or a silpat, a quality pastry brush (Boar bristles retain more butter and is easier to spread, in my opinion), and a thermometer to test your water (too hot and it will kill the yeast).
Armed with the right tools, I think you’ll be very successful with this recipe!
Let me know what you think!
Until next time. X
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Texas Style Kolache Recipe
Texas Style Kolache Recipe – aka Klobasnek
This delicious Texas style kolache recipe, or klobasnek, is a soft, slightly sweet dough stuffed with sausage and cheese! A classic Texas breakfast.
- Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
Overnight dough
- 1/3 cup boiling water
- 2/3 cups All Purpose flour
Bread Dough
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup warm water 110-115°F
- 2 2/3 cups All Purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp milk powder
- 1/3 cup + 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
Filling
- 12 slices deli American cheese (not singles)
- 6 hot dogs or sausages, cut in half
Instructions
Overnight Dough
- Mix together the flour and boiling water until it turns into a wet dough.
- Place the overnight dough on a sheet of plastic wrap and close it, twisting into a ball.
- Refrigerate overnight.
Bread Dough
- Heat the water until it reaches 110-115°F (don’t chance this – test it with a food thermometer to be sure) and pour the yeast over the top.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes, or until it looks frothy.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, milk powder, salt and sugar.
- Make a well in the center, add the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
- Add the egg, stir, then the overnight dough and make sure all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Stir in the melted butter until it forms a soft, shaggy dough. The dough should start to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- On a generously floured work surface, turn out the dough and knead for 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic, not sticky or wet.
- Place in a clean bowl covered with a kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour.
- Roll the dough out into a 16″ x 12″ rectangle.
- Cut the dough into 12 equal rectangles.
- Fold each slice of cheese into thirds and stack on top of each piece of dough, then place the halved hot dogs on top.
- Roll up each kolache, pulling and tucking or pinching the edges to make sure there are no holes.
- Place each of them on a sheet pan lined with parchment or a silpat silicone baking mat at least 2″ apart with the seam side down.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel or loose plastic wrap and let rise for at least 1 hour.
- If making this the night before to bake the next morning, prepare recipe as stated including final rise, then chill loosely covered 12-18 hours. Allow time for the kolaches to come up to room temp before baking in the morning.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake 17-20 minutes, or until golden. Enjoy warm.
Notes
Tools
- parchment paper or silicone baking mat
- plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel
- thermometer
- mixing bowls
- sheet pan
- rolling pin
- pastry cutter
See post for tools I used in this recipe.
If you don’t like or have access to American cheese, use cheddar or any style you like. My favorite Texas kolaches use American and it’s why I chose to use it in this recipe.
- Prep Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Czech American
Keywords: kolache recipe, sausage kolache, texas kolache, klobasnek, klobasniky
Recipe adapted from Woman Scribbles.
So curious: What is the reason for the overnight dough?
It makes the dough a little more flavorful and the texture more soft and chewy vs crumbly.
Is it incorporated into the yeast dough? Or is it more of a dumpling? I only see flour and water (no yeast for the overnight) and no mention in the blog, as to how to use the Overnight dough vs. or with the yeast dough?
I moved from Austin about 4 years ago and have missed “kolaches” soooo much. This recipe is perfect! Thank you!
★★★★★
Do you have to let the overnight dough come up to room temp first?
Yes, that will give best results. I found that letting it sit on the counter for a few minutes while preparing the rest of the dough was enough to bring it up to temp. A good rule of thumb is that if the butter in a recipe is room temp or melted, the rest of the ingredients should be as well. Thank you for asking this very helpful question!
I’m from the Houston area, moved to Minneapolis a couple years ago, and I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed Whataburger and Shipley donuts. I’ll definitely be trying this recipe out. My roommates don’t even know what a kolache is, but they will soon learn!
These are on their second rise and look wonderful! I doubled the dough recipe and plan to make some with bacon, breakfast sausage, peppers, cheddar, etc. I am very curious though if there are other recipes that I could use this dough for. Cinnamon rolls or fried doughnuts maybe? This is my first time trying a kneed dough and am excited to try more! Thank you for this recipe! -A Texan in Colorado
★★★★★
Those fillings sound amazing! My favorite kolache place in Houston used to do stuff like pulled pork, brisket and boudin too. I haven’t tried this dough anywhere else yet, but doughnuts (or beignets), cinnamon rolls and even dinner rolls all sound like solid ideas! I’m so glad you had a great time with your first dough! Thank you for taking the time to comment.
I didn’t see where you added the flour/water mixture from the refrigerator. Did I miss it?
Hi there! It’s the overnight dough, added after the egg and before the butter in the main dough instructions.