Kolaches

Almost halfway between Austin and Dallas, Texas is a hamlet called West, which was settled by Czech immigrants. Their descendants continue to make one of the tastiest pastries ever—the kolache. This sweet, soft, filled pastry is always an excellent excuse to stop the car, stretch your legs, and chow down.

Everyone loves kolaches, and while you can find them all over the state, for some reason they just taste better in West. Perhaps it’s the water, perhaps it’s the history, perhaps it’s the competition among all those Czech bakeries serving their interpretation of the same treat—but most will agree that if you want the best kolaches, you must travel to West.

The kolache comes from a large family. I’d say it’s a distant relative to many pastries, such as a Danish, klobasnek, or even hamantaschen (the two seem to favor the same fillings), but there’s just something about that roll, a certain flavor that makes it unique.

This kolaches recipe is about as close to that little town in Texas as you can get. For me, it’s a taste of road trips, wildflowers in bloom, and a hint of warmer days on the horizon. And if you’re looking for a sweet escape, perhaps you will enjoy them, too.

This recipe was excerpted from ‘The Homesick Texan Cookbook’ by Lisa Fain. Buy the full book on Amazon.