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Sourdough Breakfast Kolaches

Sourdough Breakfast Kolaches

This Sourdough Breakfast Kolache would be the first thing I would add to the menu if I ever opened a cafe. Pillowy soft bun filled with savory cream cheese filling topped with an egg yolk and cheesy crumble and bacon, this is the most delicious breakfast item I've ever had.
Try them, you won't be sorry!
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Prep Time 7 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 9

Equipment

  • Stand mixer with a dough hook (or strong hands)
  • Rubber Spatula for mixing cheese filling
  • Mixing bowls for cheese filling and crumble
  • Kitchen scale optional
  • Parchment paper to line baking sheets
  • 2 Baking sheets to bake kolaches
  • Small cookie scoop or Tablespoon to portion cheese filling
  • Glass cup to make wells in centers
  • Hand mixer for blending cream cheese filling
  • Food thermometer (optional) to make sure center of kolaches are done

Ingredients
  

Sourdough Breakfast Kolaches

Sweet Levain:

  • 1 Tablespoon (25g) sourdough starter (100% hydration)
  • ¾ cup + 2 tbsp (100g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup + 2 tbsp (100g) water
  • 1 tbsp + 2 tsp (25g) granulated sugar

Dough Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup (200g) sweet levain or sourdough starter
  • 1 cup (200g) whole milk
  • ⅓ cup (75g) granulated white sugar
  • 2 tbsp (40g) raw honey
  • 1 (50g) large egg
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 8 tbsp (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 tsp (20g) avocado oil
  • 4¼ cups (550g) bread flour or all-purpose
  • 1½ tsp (10g) fine sea salt

Savory Cheese Filling:

  • 6 oz (170g) cream cheese, softened
  • 3 oz (85g) sharp white cheddar or gruyère, shredded
  • 1 egg yolk
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp chopped chives or green onion
  • 2 teaspoons honey or sugar
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Savory Streusel Crumble:

  • ½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp (28g) salted butter, melted
  • 2 tbsp (10g) grated Parmesan
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp paprika

Additional Toppings:

  • 9 egg yolks
  • 4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled

Instructions
 

Make the Sweet Levain (Night Before):

  • Mix all ingredients until a paste forms.
    1 Tablespoon (25g) sourdough starter (100% hydration), ¾ cup + 2 tbsp (100g) all-purpose flour, ¾ cup + 2 tbsp (100g) water, 1 tbsp + 2 tsp (25g) granulated sugar
  • Cover and let ferment at 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 10–12 hours, or until doubled and domed.

Make the Dough:

  • In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl), combine sweet levain, milk, sugar, avocado oil. honey, egg, egg yolk, and oil. Mix wet ingredients with a whisk until loosely combined.
    ¾ cup (200g) sweet levain or sourdough starter, 1 cup (200g) whole milk, ⅓ cup (75g) granulated white sugar, 2 tbsp (40g) raw honey, 1 (50g) large egg, 2 large egg yolks, 4 tsp (20g) avocado oil
  • Add flour and salt to the dough. Mix on low until a shaggy dough forms, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down bowl if needed. If using your hands, knead until you work dough into a ball.
    4¼ cups (550g) bread flour, 1½ tsp (10g) fine sea salt
  • Once dough has formed a rough ball, add softened unsalted butter, one a tablespoon at a time.
    8 tbsp (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • Continue mixing on medium-low (speed 2–3) for 8–10 minutes, until dough is smooth, elastic, and tacky but not sticky. If mixing by hand knead dough until butter has fully incorporated and dough is smooth and tacky.
  • If kneading in a mixer or if dough is very wet when mixing by hand, add an additional 25 grams (3 Tablespoons) of flour and mix into dough.
  • Do not add more than 25 grams of flour at this stage, or you will lose the high hydration of the dough and end up with a dense dough. If using a stand mixer, dough can become more warm and sticky and I have found kneading dough with my hand for a minute after mixing really helps bring the dough together.

Bulk Fermentation:

  • Spray a clean bowl with oil. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place it in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap.
  • If you used a stand mixer, perform one set of stretch and folds after 30 minutes to strengthen your dough. If you mixed dough by hand, perform 3 sets of stretch and folds at 30 minute intervals at the beginning of bulk fermentation. After stretch and folds are completed, cover dough and allow to continue proofing.
  • Let dough rise at 75–80°F until doubled in size—about 5–6 hours. If your house is very cold, you can put dough in the oven with the light on for a warmer atmosphere.
  • Once dough has finished rising, you can cover and transfer to the refrigerator overnight for a longer ferment or you can skip this step and go straight to shaping your kolaches. I do find it to be easier to shape the dough when it has been refrigerated but it isn't necessary.

Prepare the Cream Cheese Filling:

  • Allow cream cheese to soften completely at room temperature before mixing filling.
    6 oz (170g) cream cheese, softened
  • Shred white cheddar or gruyere if needed.
  • Transfer cream cheese to a medium sized bowl and add shredded cheddar or gruyere, egg yolk, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, honey or sugar, salt, and pepper.
    3 oz (85g) sharp white cheddar or gruyère, shredded, 1 egg yolk, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp onion powder, 1 tbsp chopped chives or green onion, 2 teaspoons honey or sugar, ¼ tsp sea salt, ¼ tsp ground black pepper
  • Beat filling with hand beaters for roughly one minute, until combined. It doesn't need to be smooth.
  • Set aside filling for when you're ready to assemble your kolaches.

Prepare Crumble:

  • Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds to 1 minute and butter is melted. Add flour, grated Parmesan, black pepper and paprika to the bowl. Mix with a spoon or fork until a crumbly mixture forms. Set aside for later when you are ready to assemble kolaches.
    ½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp (28g) salted butter, melted, 2 tbsp (10g) grated Parmesan, ¼ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp paprika

Final Proofing:

  • If dough was refrigerated overnight, remove from refrigerator and allow to warm on the counter about 30 minutes for better handling. If you didn't chill dough, skip this step.
  • Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats and spray lightly with cooking oil. Set side.
  • Grease a clean work surface with a little cooking spray, and transfer dough from bowl to counter. Weight out 9 dough balls (roughly 130 grams), and shape them into taut balls.
  • Note: 130 grams makes large kolaches; if you want to make a dozen smaller kolaches weigh out dough to be 100-110 gram balls.
  • Transfer dough balls to prepared baking sheets and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Allow dough balls to proof 2 hours at room temperature.

Assemble and Bake Kolaches:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare an egg wash with 1 egg yolk and 2 teaspoons of water in a small bowl. Beat together until smooth and set aside.
  • Gather your cream cheese filling, savory crumble, bacon pieces, and 9 eggs if you're adding egg to the centers.
    9 egg yolks, 4 slices bacon
  • Grease the back of a small glass or use your fingers to press a deep well in the center of each dough ball.
  • Fill the well of each kolache with 2 Tablespoons cream cheese filling. Spread the filling to fill the center of the kolache.
  • Brush the outside ring of the kolache with the egg wash. I like to do this with a paper towel to make sure you don't end up with an eggy rim around the bottom.
  • Par-baking: If you're adding the egg yolks to the centers of the cheese filling, you are going to par-bake the kolaches first. Bake the kolaches at 350°F (175°C) for 12 minutes.
  • To add the egg yolk center, you're going to take a spoon and create a well in the center of the cream cheese filling about the size of 1 Tablespoon. Carefully crack an egg and separate the egg yolk, then add the egg yolk to the well you've created. Repeat this step with the remaining kolaches.
  • Brush the edges of the kolache with remaining egg wash, avoiding the cheese filling and egg yolk center.
  • Sprinkle 2 teaspoons approximately of crumble and 2 teaspoons of bacon pieces around the ring of the kolache where you brushed the egg wash.
  • Return to the oven and bake kolaches for 12-15 more minutes until golden brown and fillings are just set. Internal temp should read around 200°F in bread portion of bun. Egg yolk centers should be just set, but not completely cooked.
  • Note: If you choose to skip the egg yolk addition, simply add the crumble and bacon after the egg wash prior to baking. Skip the par- bake, and bake at 350 F for 20-24 minutes or until internal temperature reads 200 F.
  • Cool on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes and centers are set.
  • Enjoy your Sourdough Breakfast Kolaches!
  • Yields 9 buns
Course Breakfast, Pastries
Cuisine Sourdough