.jpg)
by Crystal Schlueter
This week’s recipe comes from Barbara Fleischman of Ely. I first met Barbara at the Harvest Booya Festival in Finland last year. While attending the festival, all of the tables were full except for one in the far back corner. I made my way over and asked if I could sit across from the two ladies sitting at the large round table. Barbara smiled, pulled out the chair next to her, and welcomed me to sit next to her instead.
Barbara has one of those sparkling personalities where she could easily be described as a friend to everyone she meets. Since that day at the Booya Festival, we have been corresponding regularly and I learned that Barbara is also a passionate foodie. As a thanks for her kindness, I introduced her to the Laskiainen Festival in Palo last February. Shortly thereafter, Barbara shared a special family recipe with me and I have been waiting for the perfect time to share it.
The original recipe comes from Barbara’s German grandmother, the late Regina Koehnen of Glencoe, Minnesota. Regina had a large family and was an excellent cook and baker. She was especially well-known for her prune kolaches, which she served to family, friends, bridge club, and at church functions. The kolaches were always on the table when Regina had visitors, leaving a legacy of sweet nostalgia for those who sampled them.
During Christmas of 1983, Regina surprised her family with a cookbook featuring her famous kolaches and other favorite recipes. She wrote the book alongside her daughter, Mary and daughter-in-law, Ethel. She included a handwritten letter attached to the cookbook and I thought it should be shared as a source of inspiration for other families to start a cookbook of their own. I would like to thank Barbara for her generosity in sharing her family’s favorite recipe and the story of the lovely lady behind them.
To My Beloved Family-
Some time ago, some of my grandchildren and Ethel suggested that I write a recipe book for them. So, on Thanksgiving, Ethel and I decided we would surprise everyone, but after some discussion, we thought we should include Mary, so we all got to work. They worked on the outside and I worked on the recipes; I hope you all enjoy the book and use a few of the recipes and excuse all mistakes and penmanship. I want to thank the girls for helping me and my wish that God wills us all to be together again next year.
Merry Christmas and Happy and Healthy New Year
- Mother and Grandmother Koehnen 1983
INGREDIENTS: Filling:
2 pounds prunes, roughly chopped 1 cup granulated sugar 2 cups water
Dough:
2 envelopes active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons) 1/4 cup warm water (100-110 degrees F) 1 teaspoon plus 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water 1 1/2 cups warm milk 1 large beaten egg 1 tablespoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2/3 cup melted shortening 4 1/2 cups plus 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (divided) plus extra for dusting
INSTRUCTIONS: Filling:
In a large saucepan, combine the prunes, sugar, and water. Turn the heat to medium and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 10-15 minutes or until a jam-like consistency is reached. Use a potato masher to coarsely mash the prunes until slightly chunky. Cool completely.
Dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the yeast, warm water, and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Let stand for 10-15 minutes or until foamy. Add the remaining sugar, lukewarm water, milk, egg, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk until combined, then add the shortening and 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour. Beat until smooth. Cover and let “sponge” rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until puffed up and filled with bubbles. Add the remaining flour and switch to a dough hook. Beat for 8-10 minutes or until the dough is soft and smooth. Cover and let rise again for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 4 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough in half. Keeping one half covered, roll out the other half on a floured board to a 20x24 inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 24 rectangles (5 cuts down the wider end and three cuts across the smaller end). Working with one at a time, gently stretch each piece into a square. Add a heaping tablespoon of the prune filling. Fold two opposite corners to meet in the center. Repeat with the remaining two corners overlapping the first two. Pinch to seal, then place on the baking sheet and flatten slightly. Once two pans of kolaches are finished, bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. As the first batch bakes, repeat with the remaining half of dough. Yield: 48 kolaches.
Notes: The recipe Regina wrote in her impeccable penmanship was remarkably well-detailed. However, as written, the kolaches shape was not the same shape as those from Barbara’s memory. Her grandmother gave instructions on how to make the most classic shaped kolaches, which are simply rolled into balls and stamped in the center prior to filling. My hunch is that she knew her preferred shape was a bit too advanced for non-experienced kolache makers and wanted to make things easier for her family. Not surprisingly, I had to make this recipe twice before it turned out close to the gift-shaped kolaches of Barbara’s memory. For my first attempt, I added an extra half cup of flour to the dough so it was kneadable by hand. I also let the kolaches rise again after filling. This resulted in soft, squishy kolaches. While they had a great texture if you were aiming for dinner rolls, they were not right for kolaches. The finished product should be more pastry-like. So, the next time I used only the amount of flour called for and kneaded them with a hand mixer. I also baked the kolaches immediately after shaping. The original recipe also called for 2 cakes (2/3 of a 2 ounce block of yeast) of fresh yeast. Unfortunately, yeast cakes are difficult to find. Fresh yeast offers a slightly richer yeast flavor that Barbara could tell was missing from my version. To my knowledge, the small Super One in Virginia is the only store on the range that carries this yeast. They were sold out when I checked recently, so I substituted the equivalent amount of active dry yeast in the ingredient list.
