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