Mary S. Veselka Czech/ Texas Sausage Kolace

Step 1

Slice cheese approximately the same size as the sausage. Precook sausage so it's warm not hot and blot.

Sponge:

Step 2

Beat together warm water, sugar, yeast, 1 cup warm milk and 1 3/4 cups flour thoroughly and let stand for 1 hour.

Step 3

Put in large bowl covered with Saran wrap and wet warm towel in warm spot, not hot, it will cook yeast.

Rise:

Step 4

Microwave the Crisco to melt it .

Step 5

It's really hot, let it stand out while the sponge is percolating.

Step 6

If you put the Crisco in when it is too hot, it will kill the yeast.

Step 7

Use butter flavored Crisco.

Step 8

Add Crisco, 1/4 cup warm milk, salt, egg yolks and 2 1/4 cups flour.

Step 9

Beat well and let rise until double in bulk.

Step 10

Stir it with a wooden spoon.

Step 11

It releases all the "air" trapped in it.

Step 12

The dough will be very soft, and a little sticky.

Step 13

Make the balls for each sausage roll.

Step 14

Cover the sausage and cheese with the dough you have patted out.

Step 15

Use a Silpat, on cookie sheet and pat each golf ball size blob down to a rectangle about 3 inches by 5 inches and about 1/4 of an inch thick.)

Step 16

Make sure to seal the cheese and sausage up well, and place the seam side down on the sheet pan.

Step 17

(It's hard to put an exact measurement on this because some like to use the big sausages, and others the little smokies.

Step 18

Use about a golf ball size for the sausages that are about 4 inches long and 1/2 inch in diameter.

Step 19

This dough really grows after the 2nd rise.

Egg wash:

Step 20

Beat the egg and water together to make an egg wash.

Step 21

Brush the egg wash over the tops of the kolaches.

Step 22

Let rise 15 minutes.

Step 23

Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Step 24

Also, underestimate the amount of dough you need to wrap around your filling.

Step 25

If the yeast is fresh, a little dough goes a long way, you will have dough ball. lol