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Texas Kolaches, or Texas Sausage Kolaches with cheddar cheese and jalapeños, are a popular breakfast pastry in Texas, found at most donut shops and bakeries in Central, Southeast, and South Central Texas.
This Texas Sausage Kolache is a hearty breakfast pastry that is savory, cheesy, and spicy.
It features breakfast sausage, melted cheddar cheese, and sliced jalapeños wrapped inside a sweet, golden brown Czech kolache dough.
Table of Contents
How Did Texas Get Kolaches (Klobásníks)?
I thought Texas was the land of Tex-Mex, Texas BBQ, and breakfast tacos. How did Texas get Kolaches?
Years ago, Czech immigrants from the Czech Republic brought their sweet Czech kolache recipe to Texas and klobásníks, which have a savory filling.
Having lived in Texas my whole life, I and many other Texans will forever thank them!
And being Texans, we had to put our little Tex-Mex spin on these sausage rolls and spice these babies up!
These Homemade Sausage Kolaches with cheese and jalapenos are different than Czech kolaches because, in addition to sausage, we added jalapeños and cheddar cheese to these kolaches.
That's how we ended up with the Texas Kolache, or in this case, Texas Jalapeno Sausage and Cheese Kolaches.
If you have ever stopped at a Bucee's in Texas on I-35 or I-10 and tried one of their breakfast kolaches, you will know how good these sausage, jalapeño, and cheddar-stuffed pastries are.
However, I think these homemade Texas Kolaches are better than Bucee's Kolaches! There, I've thrown down the gauntlet!
What You’ll Need To Make Kolaches
Equipment
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Ingredients
Below, I discuss the ingredients and possible substitutions if you don't have a specific ingredient. However, if you are looking for the specific measurements of each ingredient, scroll down to the bottom of this article, just above the comments, for the printable recipe card, which includes all the ingredients and the specific amounts of each one.
Kolache Dough
- Milk – You’ll need warm milk. I recommend whole milk for the best results.
- Sugar – Use granulated sugar. This makes a sweet dough, and it helps the yeast to grow.
- Active Dry Yeast – I used active dry yeast, but if you prefer to use rapid-rise yeast, add it to the dry ingredients and skip over the proofing step.
- Melted Butter – I use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt in the recipe better.
- Eggs – Eggs should be at room temperature when you add them to the recipe.
- Salt
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour to achieve the best results for a pillowy dough.
Kolache Filling
- Sausages – You’ll need breakfast sausage links. If you like, you could use jalapeno sausage, spicy sausage, or Cajun boudin and transform this recipe into Boudin Kolaches.
- Sliced Jalapenos – You can use pickled jalapenos for a little less spicy or sliced jalapenos with seeds for more spicy.
- Cheddar Cheese Slices – I like cheddar and that is the cheese often found in kolaches in Texas, but you could use your favorite type of cheese if you prefer.
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon water
- Sliced jalapenos (optional)
How To Make Texas Jalapeno Sausage and Cheese Kolaches
Combine the warm milk, sugar, and yeast in a large mixing bowl.
Let proof for 5 minutes until bubbly.
Stir in the melted butter and eggs.
Combine the flour and salt and add to the wet ingredients.
Stir until combined.
Using a kneading hook on a stand mixer, knead the yeast mixture for 7 minutes.
Form a dough ball and place it in a bowl.
Cover loosely with a towel, place in a warm spot, and let the dough rise, doubling in size. This will take approximately an hour.
Punch the dough down.
Place dough on a flat surface and roll dough into a rectangle.
Cut the dough down the middle, Then cut each side into 6 equal pieces.
Take one piece at a time and, using a rolling pin, roll dough into a rectangular shape.
- Roll each piece of dough into a rectangle.
- Lay a piece of cheese on one end of the dough.
- Place a couple of slices of jalapenos on the cheese.
- Then add a sausage.
- Carefully roll up the dough, pinching the edge to close well. Place seam side down on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
- Repeat this with the remaining dough, dividing it into equal pieces.
Allow the kolaches to rise for another 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350°.
Combine the egg and water and brush gently over the kolaches. Add a slice or two of jalapeno on top.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Tips
- The dough will be sticky and can be kneaded by hand or a stand mixer.
- Do not add extra flour, or the dough will dry and become harder.
- After the first rise, the dough gets easier to handle. You can close the end of the dough over the sausage if you like.
- These are larger kolaches, but you can make them smaller and use little smokies instead.
FAQs
Place the kolaches in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 – 5 days.
Yes. Place them in an airtight, freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
No. The dough is what is makes the difference. Kolaches use a sweet Czech pastry dough instead of crescent dough.
More Texas Breakfast Recipes
If you love these Jalapeno Sausage and Cheese Kolaches, please leave a comment and a 5-star rating!
Recipe
Ingredients
Kolache Dough
- 1 cup milk warmed (110°)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 packet 2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 8 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
Kolache Filling
- 12 sausages jalapeno, cheddar
- 36 pickled jalapeno slices thinly sliced
- 6 slices cheddar cheese halved
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon water optional
Garnish
- Sliced jalapenos
Instructions
Make Kolache Dough
- Combine the warmed milk, sugar and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Let proof for 5 minutes until bubbly.
- Stir in the butter and eggs.
- Combine the flour and salt and add to the wet ingredients. Stir until combined. Using a kneading hook on a stand mixer, knead for 7 minutes.
- (Alternate directions If you don't have a mixer with kneading hook): If you want to knead by hand, do not flour the surface you want to work on. Lift the dough and slap down, then fold the dough over. Slide under the middle of the dough and lift. Slap back down on the surfand and fold in half. Repeat for 10 minutes until the dough becomes smoother and more elastic.
- Form a ball and place in a bowl. Cover loosely with a towel and place in a warm spot and allow it to double in size. This will take approximately an hour.
- Punch the dough down then roll into a large rectangle. Cut the dough down the middle, then cut each side into 6 pieces.
Make The Kolaches
- Roll out a piece of the dough into a rectangular shape.
- Lay a piece of cheese on one end of the dough, place a couple slices of jalapeños on top of the cheese, then add a sausage.
- Carefully roll up the dough, pinching the edge to close well.
- Place the uncooked kolaches seam side down on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
- Repeat with the remaining dough pieces. Allow the kolaches to rise for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Make The Egg Wash
- Combine the egg and water and brush gently over the kolaches. Add a slice or two of jalapeno on top.
Bake The Kolaches
- Bake in a preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Madeline Sanderson says
If I freeze them… could I heat them up in the microwave and how long would I put them in the microwave for?
Michele says
Hi Madeline,
Yes, you can freeze them and then reheat them in the microwave for a minute or two.
Thanks,
Michele
Niki says
These came out great but I have to admit I DID add more flour. I started with 4 cups flour weighed in grams. The dough was just obviously too sticky. I added about one more cup so I could at least get it into a ball. From there everything went perfectly. Thanks for the recipe! Will definitely be saving this one to use again.