Her descendants continue to make kolachi regularly, and I had the opportunity to make them with Amelia’s granddaughter Corinne.
The nut and raisin filling for these rolls is absolutely divine. Amelia would have used dark raisins for this filling. At the time that Corinne and I made these, I could only find golden raisins at the store (weird, I know), so our nut rolls have a much lighter colored filling than Amelia’s would have.
Enjoy kolachi fresh from the oven, with butter. If wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, they’ll keep for a few days. Kolachi also freezes well.
It’s a Slovakian walnut roll that we enjoy every Christmas and Easter. For years this special treat has been made by only one uncle, who happens to live inconveniently far away. Before Ben was born, I got to “attend” a masterclass with our resident kolache expert.
Watch Theresa make Kolachi!
- Food processor
- Large skillet
- Pastry brush
- 3/4 cup evaporated milk
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 2 packs instant yeast (14g or 4 1/2 tsp)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 T sugar
- 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup soft butter 1 1/2 sticks or 12 T, or 170g)
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 6 T sour cream
- 1 1/2 lbs pecans or walnuts
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup milk (have a few extra cups on hand if you need to thin out your filling)
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 T water
- Combine all ingredients for sponge in medium size bowl. Cover, and let sit for 45 minutes.
- Once sponge is ready: use stand mixer with hook attachment, or large bowl and floured hands, to thoroughly combine all ingredients for dough. Then, add sponge to dough.
- Gently knead dough until it becomes large, airy mass. Place dough into lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise in warm spot until doubled in size.
- Using food processor, grind together nuts and raisins. They should be about as fine as you can get them without turning them into a butter.
- In a large skillet over low heat, combine sugar and milk. Gently stir until sugar is dissolved. Add nut and raisin mixture, and stir to blend. Allow to cool before using as filling.
- Depending on your nuts, its possible youll need a little bit more milk to make the filling spreadable enough. Keep a cup of milk handy, and thin out as needed.
- Once dough is ready and nut filling is room temperature, get ready to assemble kolachi. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide dough into 8 equal portions. Cover the balls as youre working so they dont dry out.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion to about 1/4″ thickness. Spread nut mixture evenly, leaving a small border by edges of dough.
- Gently roll up dough, and tuck ends under. Move kolachi to parchment or silpat lined pan, and let proof on pan for about 10 minutes before baking.
- Using pastry brush, glaze tops of nut rolls with egg yolk and water. Bake in preheated oven for about a half hour, rotating after the first 15 minutes. Kolachi should be golden brown on top and bottom and feel firm to the touch. Allow to cool most of the way before slicing into rolls. Delicious warm with a healthy slathering of butter!
We are committed to baking and delivering the highest quality fresh baked goods. Our bakery partnership takes the extra time and care to bake our rolls the old-fashioned way with fresh ingredients such as sugar, flour, eggs, honey, milk & butter without use of artificial ingredients, additives, fillers, or preservatives. Great baked goods start with the best ingredients, hand-made with great care and we always remember there is no substitute for the flavor of real butter in all our products!
We like them best when served warm right out of the oven, dusted with powdered sugar. If you are not familiar with Old World Kolachi or Hungarian Nut Rolls, you won’t be disappointed. They are not too sweet, sort of like a Danish. You know you are eating something special. Makes a perfect gift. And remember, you can add a custom label with any photo, text, or graphic to make this a perfect gift for all occasions.
Barbaras Walnut Kolachi Roll. Most known as Hungarian Nut Rolls, Kolachi or Strudels, this is a popular European Sweet Bread Wrap filled with a variety of delicious fillings. Just like Barbaras Great Grandmothers Butter Cookie recipe, the Kolachi Rolls we sell re-create an old-world pastry made with the same artisan ingredients & care of long ago. Barbara is committed to providing the best quality products with the highest ingredients and she is convinced these are the finest made rolls available anywhere. She knows you will come back for more!
Optional gift-wrapping includes a gift box, theme label & ribbon. We do a nice job gift-wrapping to make the presentation extra special. And custom labels or hang tags can also be added at a nominal charge.
Barbaras Walnut Kolachi Roll comes vacuum wrapped in a gift box that tells the story of how they are made within a shipping box. About 14″L x 4″W x 1″H. Each hand made roll is over 1.5lb and can be sliced into 24 servings.
My Family’s Recipe for Kolache (A Slovak Walnut Roll)
FAQ
Is kolachi italian?
What is another name for a nut roll?
What is the meaning of povitica?
Why does my nut roll split?
What is a Kolache roll?
As I’ve learned, kolache is an incredibly regional dish. In Texas, it’s a sweet roll with a hot dog or sausage in the middle. I’ve seen others that look more like danishes. This kolache recipe is very similar to a Hungarian or Polish walnut roll, but it’s Slovak. Whatever you call it, it’s delicious!
How do you make a Kolache roll?
A kolache roll is a variation of the traditional kolache that is made by wrapping the dough around a filling. In a medium bowl, mix together the ground walnuts, milk, sugar, butter, and cinnamon until it forms a paste. Set aside. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in the warm milk.
What is a Slovak kolache?
Slovak Kolache (Nut Rolls): Kolache, or nut rolls, have been a Christmas and Easter favorite in my family for at least 5 generations. My great-grandmother brought the basic recipe with her from the former Czechoslovakia, now the Slovak Republic, in the early 1900s. The sweet…
What is kolache?
Kolache is that recipe in my husband’s family. It’s a Slovakian walnut roll that we enjoy every Christmas and Easter. For years this special treat has been made by only one uncle, who happens to live inconveniently far away. Before Ben was born, I got to “attend” a masterclass with our resident kolache expert.