These Texas Sausage Kolaches are a hearty breakfast pastry made with a fluffy, sweet breading around a cheese filled sausage. Skip the donut shop and make your own at home!
All about these sausage kolaches…
Texas Kolaches are a hearty breakfast pastry found at most donut shops around the great state of Texas. They are made with a light, fluffy yeast dough that surrounds a sausage. Typically cheese and jalapeno are included.
These pastries came to Texas by way of Czech immigrants. And while most Texans will call one of these a KOLACHE (Kol-ah-chee), Czech Texans will be quick to point out that this name refers to the sweet pastry, filled with fruit jellies. While the sausage variety is technically called a Klobasnek. The donut shops still list these as Kolaches, and if you order a Sausage Kolache, this is exactly what you will get
Ingredients Needed:
Notes on some ingredients:
- Sausage: classic options would include a polish sausage. Many local donut shops simply use beef hot dogs.
- Cheese: sliced or shredded cheese will work, use what you have on hand.
- Jalapeños: for this particular recipe, pickled jalapeños work better. If you have fresh on hand and would prefer to use that I would recommend sautéing them first before adding to the recipe.
How to make (step-by-step):
- Step 1: Bloom the yeast. This recipe uses active dry yeast, to reactivate it and to test and make sure that your yeast is nice and active, mix it with some warm water and a bit of sugar. Let this sit for about 5 minutes and you should see bubbles forming on the top. If nothing happens, then it’s possible your yeast is no longer active and you will need to replace it and start over.
- Step 2: Combine wet ingredients. The eggs, melted butter, milk, remaining sugar, and salt. Add this to the yeast mixture.
- Step 3: Add in the flour needed for the dough.
- Step 4: Mix in a stand mixer, or by hand if needed, until dough comes together. It will be sticky.
- Step 5: Sprinkle a small amount of flour on a clean counter and gently knead until the dough is no longer sticky and forms into a ball. This should only take an additional 2 tbsp of flour as noted in the recipe.
- Step 6: Lightly grease a bowl and place the dough ball inside. Give the dough a spin to coat in the oil. Cover and let rest for for 1 hour until doubled in size. During the last 20-15 minutes of rise time, cook the sausages to have them ready to prep the kolaches.
- Step 7: Remove the cover from the dough bowl, punch down the dough and then place dough on a lightly floured work surface.
- Step 8: Press the dough out into a rectangular shape approximately 7×5 inches. Then divide into 12 equal portions.
- Step 9: Working with one portion of dough at a time, press the dough out into a square (3 inches by 3 inches) then top with cheese, slices of jalapeño, and a cooked sausage. Roll this up and pinch together the dough where it meets. Set this on a baking sheet, seam side down. Top with slices of jalapeño if desired.
- Step 10 & 11: Continue working with all the dough, until all kolaches are filled and rolled. Then place on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart, they will spread while they bake, and you will most likely have to cut them apart. Brush the tops with an egg wash before baking. This gives a nice golden coloring. Then after baking brush with a melted butter and honey mixture to give added sweetness and flavoring to the dough.
Expert Tips:
- Jalapeños: When making this for the family, it’s possible some may prefer to skip the jalapeño, simply leave them out of the inside of the kolache, and mark the ones you are making with jalapeño with a few slices on top before baking.
- Make Ahead: prepare these the night before, cut the second rise (after they are prepped and on the baking sheet) to only 30 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap nice and tight and place in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, remove from the fridge and let sit out at room temperature while the oven preheats and bake as instructed.
- Switch out the Filling: my family loves these with ham and cheese as a filling or you could use scrambled eggs and sausage or bacon. Another popular option in Texas is a Boudin Kolache, cook up the boudin (sausage mixed with rice) and use as a filling!
Kolache: FAQS
Traditional Kolaches are a Czech thing. Czech immigration to Texas began in the 1850s. Once here, they settled in Central Texas. Overtime their sweet kolache dough began being used with polish sausage, then cheese and jalapeño were added. This is now a classic Texan recipe thanks to the blending of different food cultures. These meat filled “kolaches” are now featured in most all local donut shops throughout the state.
Pigs in a blanket are typically made using a crescent dough. Kolaches are made using a sweet, yeast dough for making fruit pastries. Making kolaches just a bit sweeter than your average pig in a blanket. In other words, don’t offend your favorite Texan by referring to these as a ”pig in a blanket”.
While most Texans will simply call them kolaches, the actual name is Klobasneks.
Other Breakfast Recipes:
If you tried this recipe please leave a comment and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below! Thank you so much!
- Recipe first published April 3, 2020. Recipe has been changed and updated as of July 1, 2022. Original recipe can be found here. Images and video updated to reflect changes.
- Photography by the talented @KJandCompany.co
