Kolach

Imagine living only blocks away from an annual festival where over 52,000 wheat-filled pastries are baked! In June, each year, St. Ludmila Parish in Cedar Rapids, Iowa holds their annual Kolach Festival. Reader Theresa Brandon lives only blocks away from the festival. I can't even imagine what the smell of 52,000 baking Kolaches must be like!
Over a year ago, Theresa requested a recipe for gluten-free Kolach. Before working on this recipe, I had never heard of Kolach! After a bit of research, I found out that these yeast-raised pastries originated in Eastern Europe. While there are many recipes, and variations of Kolach, I focused on converting the recipes Theresa e-mailed me.
This turned out to be a huge challenge! Out of all the recipes I have converted to gluten-free, this recipe was one of the trickiest. Working with two of Theresa's family recipes, I finally created a gluten-free Kolach! And it only took me about 65 tries!
Now onto the important part! What do these goodies taste like? Dotted with a fruit topping, either fruit, prune, or poppy seed, these pastries will melt in your mouth. Well, of course, they are unique, but they remind me a little of a Danish pastry.
You might not make 52,000 Kolaches, but I suggest you make a double batch. They freeze wonderfully!
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