My Family's Recipe for Kolache (A Slovak Walnut Roll)

[@kristytucker2551]

I’m Slovak and will be making Kolache for the first time at Christmas. My great grandma made it all the time when I was little! Thanks for the tips.

[@bakesandblunders]

This is one of my favorite holiday bakes!

[@dw3992]

My Grandmother used to make this. She was English & French. It's super delicious & makes the whole house smell wonderful. Such great memories.

[@bakesandblunders]

This is definitely one of those recipes that seems to go hand in hand with happy memories :D

[@lhogue]

I make the Hungarian version that has sour cream in the dough. Also, to make the walnut mixture moist, add one finely chopped apple (peeled and cored) for each nut roll. You won't taste the apple at all. For ease, process the apple with the walnuts in a food processor.

[@bakesandblunders]

Ooo! I love this. Both additions sound amazing, but I especially want to try the apple trick. Thanks for sharing :D

[@lhogue]

@@bakesandblunders How do you keep your pastry mat from moving around on the counter while rolling out the dough? Mine has a mind of it's own!

[@bakesandblunders]

Oh, that can be such a pain! When my mat decides to walk around my counter, I just get my hand a little wet, lift the mat up, and dab a bit of water around. If I'm really on it, I like to wipe my counter before I even take my mat out. Then I unroll the mat while the counter is still slightly damp. I've found that any stray flour or crumbs can make it super difficult to keep the mat in place.

[@sempressfi]

Hungarian and our recipe has the sour cream but have never heard of the apple trick! Will have to try that, thanks for the tip 😊

[@georgepotter353]

What type of yeast was used to make the dough.

[@Kris-h5z]

Thank you! My czech Grandma used to make this 2-3 times a year along with a poppy seed one and I've always loved for something that looked similar to recreate for the holidays. Thank you!

[@kg3858]

My great aunt made this all the time. I loved it. She was from Austria and we are Slovak. ❤

[@kerrilynvh4022]

Thanks, Collen. You rocked the visuals. I make the Hungarian version with sour cream every year for picky in-laws and am always looking for technique tweaks. Looking forward to more of your videos.

[@bakesandblunders]

Ooo!! Tell me more about the sour cream one! My husband's grandmother had a cheese (like cream cheese) kolache recipe, but she didn't like it and the recipe has since been lost. And thanks for watching :D

[@sempressfi]

If you haven't already, you should be able to just substitute out the water for 1/4 c sour cream. My grandma's recipe has us warm it and the milk in the stove then letting it cool before adding to the dough ​@@bakesandblunders

[@bakesandblunders]

@@sempressfi That sounds delicious! I will have to try that one year :D

[@VeganDeconstructed]

Need to go old school with those walnuts and get out the nutcracker and crack whole walnuts, then process thru a grinder to get an oily paste. If you were lucky, the nut cracked perfectly and those were glued together and painted to use on the tannenbaum :D

[@firebearva]

My mother would make it and other Slovak pastries at Christmas

[@bakesandblunders]

That's wonderful! What other Slovak pastries did she make?

[@johnnywad7728]

I just had 2 slices of poppyseed kolutchki ( that's how we hunkies pronunciation of it). Poppyseed kolutchki is to die for! It's like a tiny slice of heaven in every bite! I dont care that it might make me fail a drug test! It's Soo good!

[@bakesandblunders]

The poppyseed kolache is not a popular choice for our family, even though we make a few loaves of it every year. But bobalki is always a hit with us! Have you ever had bobalki?

[@johnnywad7728]

@@bakesandblunders I'm not sure. It seems that the local dialect has the pronunciation of some words different. My grandmother on my dad's side,may she rest in peace, pronounced kolache...kolachik. And she was as Slavic as one could get. Was fluent in English and Slovak. My younger brother by one year took classes in Slovak five years and is fluent in English, Spanish and Slovak. I'm going to look up bolbaki and see if it's something I have had before. And I'll let you know. Thanks for responding.

[@bakesandblunders]

Kolache is super regional, that's for sure! We use the same dough to make bobalki. It's balls of dough, baked, then tossed with honey and poppyseeds. Very yummy!

[@johnnywad7728]

@@bakesandblunders my brother the one who studied Slovak said that my mother's mother used to make Bolbalki. But that it wasn't something we had much experience with. Haluski,Halupki,and paguch...and of course kolache.

[@johnnywad7728]

@@bakesandblunders of course my brother uses all the symbols above and around the words,being fluent in that language LoL. I know maybe 50-75 words in Slovak,as it was often spoken especially when we were little children soaking up words like a sponge

[@ph43draaa]

Thank you for making this video; going through Grandma's belongings we found her collection of recipes and saw one for "kolachi" and had never heard of it (I didnt grow up in eastern Ohio) and had no idea where to start with making this

[@bakesandblunders]

I hope my video and recipe (link in the description box if you need it) are able to fill in any missing pieces!

[@magdanova9771]

Hi, very nice video 🤗 just some Slovak vocab if your are interested: Koláč (kolach) means literally "cake" in english. So "koláč" is every sweet cake... The one you are making, filled with nuts is called "orechovník". If its filled with poppy seeds, then its called "makovník". If with cheese, "tvarohovník". ❤

[@Kris-h5z]

Than you for this!

[@robschlesinger3565]

My family also makes it with Poppyseed filling or chocolate filling.

[@bakesandblunders]

Oooo! Chocolate sounds amazing!

[@johnnywad7728]

Yes! Poppyseed!!!

[@teddyboy252]

My mother's Hungarian were delightful like yours

[@bakesandblunders]

It's fascinating how many variations of this dish there are :D

[@JoshElrod-lb9ib]

Thank You 🙏💜

[@bakesandblunders]

You're welcome!!

[@quixoticjedi942]

My Slovak grandmother made these every Christmas, and then my mom did after she passed. Sadly I'm the only one in the family that keeps the tradition alive as my cousins are all too lazy to bake.

[@bakesandblunders]

Even if you're the only one who is baking, you're keeping the tradition alive. Maybe some family will join in on the baking in the future :D

[@simonemirzaie9816]

Hi Beautiful recipe I just love it and I just found you and substituted. Where is the recipe? Please I need the ingredients.

[@bakesandblunders]

Thanks for watching! You can always find the link to my recipes in the description box below the video. Here it is for ya - www.bakesandblunders.com/kolache-a-slovakian-walnut-roll/

[@erno9248]

Excellent to see tradition.By the way what measurements are the rectangles? Thanks .

[@bakesandblunders]

The rectangle is roughly 12x20 inches. What's more important is the thickness of your dough. Shoot for a rectangle where your dough is thin enough that you'll get a good swirl, but not so thin that the dough could tear as you handle it.

[@joanprstac2743]

I use my hands for everything. I need the walnut filling recipe

[@bakesandblunders]

You can always find links to my recipes in the description box below the video :D Here is my family's kolache recipe (with the walnut filling) - www.bakesandblunders.com/kolache-a-slovakian-walnut-roll/ Enjoy!

[@lrhurst3033]

Just curious as to why you don't show every single step to the recipe and include amounts instead of making everybody have to go to the description?

[@bakesandblunders]

I am genuinely happy to answer that question for you! Simply put, I created my KZbin channel to supplement my baking blog because sometimes it's much easier to demonstrate a recipe than explain it. I first published my family's kolache recipe on my website about a year before I ever made the video. Bakes & Blunders is a passion project for me, not a full time (or even part time) job. On my website, I have all the control to format the recipe in an easy to read/ follow way. There are also jump to recipe and print recipe buttons to make it super dupes easy to just get to the recipe if you don't need extra instructions. My philosophy behind my blog is to share what baking knowledge I have with other home bakers. So in the body of my blog post, I mostly talk about the recipe. For less experienced bakers, that information can be very important. If I were to put everything from my website onto the videos I post here, I'd be doubling my work. Unfortunately, I just don't have the time or energy to do this. I am just one person sharing my recipes for free on the internet. I, personally, would rather have a formatted recipe card available than have to pause a video to write instructions down, or scroll through a description box to find the info. Naturally, not everyone feels this way, and I totally get that. So sorry for jabbering on! I hope that answers your question :D I could talk about this forever. I'm very passionate about what I do.

[@JudithStewart-t5u]

Ok, made this yesterday, maybe beginners luck but it was outrageous! I promised some relatives I would freeze one for Thanksgiving but unfortunately...well, #2 is not going to make it to the freezer either. I used regular flour as it is less expensive, but I noticed this morning that the sweet bread was already starting to dry out. Maybe I didn't wrap it well. Does bread flour do this? What flour do you usually use? And thanks for the video and recipe - I haven't had this since my grandmother passed, and the whole time I made these I could feel her behind me. It also gave me a peek into her life - this is a bit of work! I don't know how she did it.

[@bakesandblunders]

I've made this with just all purpose flour, just bread flour, and a mixture of the two. From my experience, the bread flour simply adds more structure due to its higher protein content. All of the options work well and taste great. If the bread was slightly over baked, it could dry out quicker, or it is possible that it just wasn't wrapped well. I usually wrap mine in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer ziploc bag for freezing. If I'll be snacking on it over the next few days, the plastic wrap isn't necessary, but I make sure to squeeze extra air out of the bag and just leave the koalche on the counter.

[@paulym5814]

I have this recipe and many more from my Gram and Grampy. They came over to America as very young children and learned their recipe from their parents. I usually make this at Christmas time but was under the weather just before Christmas. So I’m going to make a double batch as we love a slice of 2 for a late night snack with a cup of decaf tea. My gram and my gramps last name was Pagurko.

[@bakesandblunders]

I love enjoying a slice with a cup of tea :D

[@bobberes7155]

That is not a Slovakian nut roll, it is a Slovak nut roll. There is no such word Slovakian. Slovak mountains, Slovak cities, Slovak people etc.

[@Musicfan1020]

Thank you for this! I was wondering what is the name of the pastry cookies made with jelly or almond paste normally it is a square with two corners folded in creating a point on each side of the cookie? I keep finding links online also calling it Kolache.

[@bakesandblunders]

I have also seen that referred to as kolache, but what I've learned is that the term "kolache" can vary drastically based on the region. In Texas, kolache is completely different and basically looks like a sausage in a sweet bun.

[@craighughes1984]

I have tried to make these several times they always burst and filling comes out. Seem is on the bottom but as it bakes and rises the seem pulls away up the side. What am I doing wrong please?

[@bakesandblunders]

Rolling the kolache is one of the trickiest steps, in my opinion. My best guess is that you are rolling it too tightly. If the log is too tight, as the dough expands, it needs room and will burst in the oven. However, if you roll it too loosely, you can end up with large gaps in your swirl. It's also possible that you are sealing the seam tight enough. If the dough doesn't seem to be pinching together or adhering to itself, there could be a bit too much flour on the outside of the dough. Try dipping your finger in some water, then run it under the lip of the dough. Now there should be enough moisture to properly pinch the dough together. I hope this helps! Rolling and sealing the kolache are the hardest steps for me as well. It takes a a lot of practice to find the right balance.

[@jamesfetsko1524]

Did I miss ingredients list? What's in the bread, what's in the filling? Thanks.

[@bakesandblunders]

The link to my recipe is listed in the description box below the video. Here you go - www.bakesandblunders.com/kolache-a-slovakian-walnut-roll/ :D I hope you get to make it soon!

[@jeromejanci8318]

Mine came out kind of dry....how would I make it moist so it stays together and the nuts dont fall out

[@bakesandblunders]

In my experience, the walnut kolache filling is always on the dry side when compared to say a cinnamon roll. That being said, there are definitely a few things you can do to prevent the filling from falling out. That's no fun. First, make sure your walnuts/ filling are ground small enough. This is personal preference, but larger walnut chunks will make a messier filling. Another way is to make sure you don't use too much filling. You can do this one of two ways. One, make sure your dough is rolled out large enough before adding the filling. A larger surface area means a thinner distribution of filling, which will mean it doesn't fall out. Two, you can always use less filling. Totally personal preference though. Besides that, I've been brainstorming a few other ideas that I haven't tried, but I think could work out: 1. Use brown sugar to add more moisture. 2. Increase the butter and/ or sugar. 3. Puree the filling and butter until it forms a paste that you can brush/ spread over the dough. If you try any of those three, let me know how it turns out! (And sorry for writing you a novel!) Thanks for trying my family's recipe :D

[@jeromejanci8318]

@@bakesandblunders thanks. I saw another recipe adding milk to the mixture

[@bakesandblunders]

Interesting! I've never seen that before. If you give that a try, I'd love to hear how it turns out :D

[@jeromejanci8318]

here's the recipe for moist walnut filling 1 cup ground walnuts 2 tbsp vanilla sugar or vanilla extract 1/2 cup of sugar 1/2 cup of milk

[@bakesandblunders]

I'd love to hear how it turns out for you :D I've never heard of adding milk to a roll filling.

[@CatesCube]

I do not know why but this was referred to as Poteca in Slovak but I know this is the same recipe!

[@bakesandblunders]

So it looks like Poteca is the Slovenian version of kolache. I'd guess that it's also another regional term for kolache in Slovakia. There's an almost identical Polish version of this dish too. Who doesn't love a yummy nut roll? :D

[@CatesCube]

@@bakesandblunders Nice to know.

[@jimgessner6071]

When I moved to Texas I ordered a kolache, and they gave me a hot dog. Culture shock.

[@bakesandblunders]

Haha! I know exactly what you mean! We're currently living in Texas and I see "kolaches" everywhere. I finally had to try one. Such a disappointment. That will never be kolache to me. lol

[@johnnywad7728]

LoL. That wouldn't happen here in Slavic areas of Pennsylvania where I live. Sorry for your loss!

[@jimgessner6071]

My dad's family lives mostly in NE Ohio, and Western PA. I grew up on the good stuff.@@johnnywad7728

[@swyork5]

We sprinkle powdered sugar over it when we serve

[@bakesandblunders]

That's genius! I think we'll have to start doing that too :D

[@paulym5814]

I do the same with the large granulated pearl colored sugar. Red and green with pearl essence I wish there was a place to meet and trade these different methods of making a basically similar recipe. I’d also love to accrue some new recipes that I’ve never tried before. Anyone ever hear of any good Slovakian or Hungarian old recipe books?

[@brianszuch6774]

so where is the recipe?

[@bakesandblunders]

You can always find the recipe link in the description box below my videos. Here's the link for the kolache recipe - www.bakesandblunders.com/kolache-a-slovakian-walnut-roll/

[@mnp870]

Actually the way it’s spelled is a cookie dough with a filling. A polish recipe.

[@bakesandblunders]

There absolutely is a Polish version of kolache which is very different from this Slovak version of kolache. If you're interested in learning more about the Slovak words for this dish (the different varieties also have their own names), I encourage you to read the blog post for even more information - www.bakesandblunders.com/kolache-a-slovakian-walnut-roll/

[@kathymckee4058]

Need the recipe

[@bakesandblunders]

Here you go - www.bakesandblunders.com/kolache-a-slovakian-walnut-roll/ :D You can always find links to my recipes in the description box below the video. Thanks for watching!

[@ANON-qi1it]

Not one zoom in on the product. I didn't want to watch YOU eat...... Also why dry filing vs wet? Why not use evaporated mill? Why not overlay with ingredients or discuss dough texture?

[@shayoway7414]

I had the tune out like after the first minute because you’re fast forwarding making the bread instead of giving instructions and talking about how your family loves this I mean like come on girl you’re supposed to be giving the recipe not talking about how your family loves it

[@AdrianaEvans]

Sorry, but it is not the right name for this. It's simply called "orechovnik". The term "kolac (singular)/kolace (plural)" is just a general term for baked goods. I'm Slovak, trust me on this. ;O)

[@bakesandblunders]

If you check out my blog post - www.bakesandblunders.com/kolache-a-slovakian-walnut-roll/ - you'll find I have much more information about the name of this recipe. It's from my husband's Slovak family. It's been my experience that many Slovak families that have come to the US refer to this dish simply as "kolache". Using that term helps others find this recipe :D

[@pamelamathis6515]

My Grandma was Slovak. She always called it Kolache. She was a first generation American & spoke only Slovak until she started school.

[@johnnywad7728]

My brother who studied Slovak five years agrees with what you said about plural and singular and about kolache being a generic word for pastries in general. I had no idea. Never too old to learn I suppose. Thanks for the education. I can be correct then next time the subject of Kolache comes up for me.

[@AdrianaEvans]

Another tidbit about the term "kolac" is that they also refer to pastries that are round, especially in Czech Republic. Czech language uses the term "kolace" for round pastries, as the word stems from "kola" which means "wheels". Moravian region has their own traditional "Moravske kolace" for example. @@johnnywad7728

[@johnnywad7728]

@@AdrianaEvans I screenshot your comment and forwarded to my brother who studied Slovak five years...he agrees with what you have said.

[@sarahmoore2644]

where is the recipe? why cant they just put it here. watching and subscribing are just money makers. I want to know if the recipe is good first.

[@bakesandblunders]

Hi Sarah! You can always find a link to my recipes in the description box below the video. I am just one person and my blog is not my job, just a hobby that I'm passionate about. All of my KZbin videos are designed to be supplemental content (visually, not financially) to the corresponding post on my website. Unfortunately, I do not have the time or energy to duplicate my work and have everything from my website here on KZbin as well. However, you can find nearly 400 recipes, tips, and tutorials on my website for free! Here is the link to the kolache recipe - www.bakesandblunders.com/kolache-a-slovakian-walnut-roll/. As far as money goes, I share my recipes for free because I love baking. I only just monetized my KZbin channel about 5 months ago, and as you can see, this video is much older than that. If you subscribe to my KZbin channel, it does not give me any money. BUT you (in theory) will get notified of new content. If you subscribe to my email list, it does not give me any money either. BUT you'll get an email once a week with my latest blog post. I'm not some terrible person trying to milk my viewers for cash. I'm just one woman who will gladly share just about any recipe (unless it's still in development) with anyone. I also love to share what I've learned about baking over the years to help other home bakers :D

[@georgeandrews1255]

Too many hoops to jump thru just to get the receipe

[@cheskydivision]

Bit annoying not not listening the ingredients.

[@bakesandblunders]

The full ingredient list and recipe are available in the link in the description box, but here it is again - www.bakesandblunders.com/kolache-a-slovakian-walnut-roll/.

[@debstevenmacioce921]

This is not Kolache. Kolache’s are round fruit filled and cheese filled flat yeast rolls. My Dad’s side of the family are Czech. It seems like people call all roll type desserts Kolache’s. They have different names!

[@liza3337]

Deb. You are correct - the Russian/ Czech version is as you say. However, the Slovac/Romanian version is the above nut roll, which is what I grew up with. My Romanian family made it every holiday.

[@shannoncruz2545]

@@liza3337 agreed. My slovak grandfather would get these from a bakery in western PA. When I visited TX, I realized the Czechs also have something called kolache, that looks more like a Danish. I can't wait to try this recipe.

[@zdenekdanko4729]

In the Slovak language, koláče (koláč sing.) are cakes in general. It's funny when you talk about cheese and cake. That's pizza 🍕

[@jbolts7315]

This is not a koalache, they are filled pastries. This is a nut roll. Sorry not as cool to say out loud LOL.

[@bakesandblunders]

The term "kolache" can refer to a wide variety of dishes, depending on the region. In Texas, their kolache is completely different than this variety from Slovakia. And kolache is just a broad term. This one is called orechovy, which is a type of Slovak kolache. If you're interested in the background and history of this recipe, definitely read the blog post - www.bakesandblunders.com/kolache-a-slovakian-walnut-roll/. It's been my experience that most American families with Slovak heritage know this dish as kolache, although each flavor/ variety does have its own name.

[@arnoldbarakuda5093]

This is beigli and german, not slovak cake.