Savory Texas Sausage Kolaches Recipe

If you've ever heard of or enjoyed a kolache, there's a good chance it was a Danish-like, fruit-filled pastry, perhaps in a Czech or generally European bakery. As it turns out, Texans happen to love kolaches, but if you were to stumble upon a kolache in the Lone Star state, there's a good chance that it'd be savory and most likely stuffed with sausage. Indeed, Texas kolaches are a delicacy all their own, one that simultaneously pays homage to the classic Czech treat (thanks to the similar sweetish bread-like pastry on the outside) and one that incorporates a uniquely Tex-Mex spin.

This savory Texas kolaches recipe, brought to us by developer Jessica Morone, packs all of the goodness of the Southern treat right into a succinct, homemade bite. "I love these Texas kolaches because of the delicious flavor combination of the sweet, soft dough paired with savory sausage, cheese, and jalapeños," Morone says. Sort of like upgraded pigs-in-a-blanket but doughier, cheesier, and spicier, these Texas kolaches fit in anywhere that finger foods and savory appetizers are welcome — think game days, potlucks, parties, or even just Saturday afternoons when you're looking for a meaty, savory little snack.

Despite making the dough from scratch for these kolaches, the ingredients list is nonetheless quite minimal. For the dough itself, you'll need flour, instant yeast, salt, sugar, warm milk, eggs, and melted (then cooled) butter. Then, to go inside of the kolaches, you'll want smoked sausages, shredded cheddar cheese, and diced canned jalapeños. A final egg wash (which requires one more egg and a little bit of milk) helps give the kolaches a nice golden crust and notable shine. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached add the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar and mix until combined.

Add in the warm milk, eggs, and melted butter and knead until the dough forms a ball and no longer sticks to the side of the bowl (about 5 minutes).

Grease a separate clean bowl with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the ball of dough in the greased bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a dish towel.

Place the bowl in a warm draft-free spot and let the dough rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours, until doubled in size.

Cut the smoked sausages in half and set aside.

Divide the dough into 12 equal balls.

Use a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough out to about a 7 x 5-inch rectangle.

Place 1 tablespoon shredded cheese, ½ tablespoon diced jalapeños, and one half of a sausage on each piece of dough.

Fold the longer side over the sides of the sausage and pinch the top to seal.

Fold the remaining sides of the dough up and pinch the edges to seal, then press down the edges to flatten them.

Line a large baking pan with parchment paper.

Place the kolaches seam-side down on the baking sheet. Let them rise for an additional 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

In a small bowl whisk together the egg and tablespoon of milk until combined.

Brush the tops and sides of the kolaches with the egg wash.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Serve warm.

If you've never visited Texas and have never heard of Texas kolaches, then there's a good chance you might be a little confused by these sausage-filled snacks. Indeed, classic Czech kolaches look quite different from the Texas-style ones, notably because the former are exclusively sweet treats whereas the latter make things savory (and often spicy). "Regular kolaches are a Czech pastry that looks kind of like a Danish, they are round and have sweet fillings in the center of them," Morone explains. There's really no limit to what kind of sweet fillings you can add to the Czech pastries, though an easy shortcut is to use your favorite pie filling in koloches — cherry, blueberry, or apple are all good contenders. 

Meanwhile, Texas kolaches are quite different all around, though the slightly sweet doughy bread on the outside is somewhat similar to that of the Czech version. "Texas kolaches still have a sweeter dough, but it isn't really a pastry, and usually has a savory filling of things like sausage and cheese that the dough is completely wrapped around," Morone says. Her version, which includes a simple but satisfying combination of smoked sausage, cheese, and jalapeño, is a pretty tried-and-true Texas classic, though there are plenty of options to switch up the savory ones as well.

If you like the idea of savory kolaches but aren't too keen on any of the three filling ingredients in this recipe — smoked sausage, cheddar cheese, or jalapeños — there are easy swaps you can make to customize them. For starters, you can switch out the sausage for pretty much any kind that floats your boat, and that means you could use a plant-based sausage, too. Morone suggests spicy sausage, breakfast sausage, turkey sausage, kielbasa, bratwurst, or even good ol' hot dogs in place of smoked sausage. Just keep in mind that you will need to cook the sausage first if you don't go with a smoked (or precooked) variety. 

Next up is the cheese — cheddar is a classic option, you can't go wrong with it, but you can also get a little more inventive. Pepper jack, gouda, Swiss, or cream cheese are all options that Morone says would work nicely in these kolaches. Finally, there's room for other fillings altogether, be they in place of or in addition to the jalapeño. Per Morone, "You could also add other fillings like sauteed onions and pepper, spinach, or mushrooms."