Polish Sausage Kolaches Recipe

Sausage Kolaches are the savory version of the usually sweet kolaches so popular in Poland. The Polish words for sausage kolaches are “boudin klobasneks”. Whatever you call them, they are absolutely delicious, and a wonderful comfort food.

(Photo Attributed to Author: Sylvar)

Sausage Kolaches Recipe-

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
8 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 packet (1 tbsp) active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 egg yolks
2 whole pickled jalapeños peppers, cut into 16 slices (optional)
1 lb. ground pork sausage
3 tbsp. smoked sausage seasoning

Directions:

Whisk together the yeast, sugar, salt, and 1-1/2 cups of the flour in a large mixing bowl.
Pour the warm milk mixture into the bowl and stir until you have a sticky dough. Cover the bowl and allow it to rest for half an hour.
While the dough sets, beat the oil and egg yolks together. Pour the egg/oil mixture into the flour mixture and blend until thoroughly incorporated. Gradually stir in enough of the remaining 2 to 2-1/2 cups of flour until the dough comes together. It should be soft, but not sticky.
Place the dough onto a floured surface and knead until it is smooth – about 10 minutes should do it.
Put the kneaded dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover the bowl. Let it set and rise until doubled in size – about 1 hour should do it.
As the dough rises, cook the sausage. Use your hands to work the smoked seasoning into the meat thoroughly and evenly, then place the meat in a skillet over medium heat. Break the sausage up as you put it in the skillet, so there are no large clumps. Sauté until golden brown, but not cooked well done – it will cook all the way through during the baking.
When the sausage is nicely browned, remove it from the skillet and set it aside in a bowl for now.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (You can also just grease the sheet, if you don’t have parchment paper)
Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into 8 pieces of equal size. Using your hands, roll the pieces of dough into balls, and then use a lightly floured rolling pin to flatten them into disks, 4 inches in diameter.
In the center of each disk, place 2 oz. of sausage (about 2 tablespoons) and, if you are including jalapeño, 2 slices on top of the sausage.
Fold one side of the dough over the filling and rollthe disk until it is a cylinder, encapsulating the filling. Pinch the seam together well to create a seal.
Place the kolaches on the baking sheet, spaced 1 inch apart, with the seam side down. Cover with a kitchen cloth, and allow to rise for another 45 minutes.
During this last rising time, preheat your oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
In a small saucepan over medium low heat, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Brush the tops of the kolaches with half of the melted butter.
Place the sheet into the oven, middle rack, and bake, uncovered, for 15 to 18 minutes, or until you see them achieving a nice golden brown color.
Remove them from the oven, and brush each kolache with the remaining melted butter.
You can freeze your kolaches, and you can also keep them for up to 2 days, tightly wrapped, and then reheated ro serve. However, your sausage kolaches are best served right away, while fresh out of the oven and still nice and warm.

Note: For more delicious, traditional and authentic dishes from Poland, click here.