Texas Kolaches (Klobasneks) with Sausage (2024)

Make Texas Kolaches (aka Klobaskneks) better than any donut shop in the South! Today, we're sharing our best tips on how to make this beloved Texas staple at home. Prized for its soft, sweet yeast dough and savory sausage filling, homemade kolaches are the way to go when you need a crowd-pleasing breakfast at hand. Bonus alert: you won't find a kolache dough easier than this one!

Why This Recipe Works

The hardest part about most homemade Texas kolache recipes is making the bread. Many recipes yield an overly sticky dough that requires hand-kneading, rolling, and shaping—not this one!

This recipe comes together easily and is positively foolproof. Consider it your go-to kolache dough that bakes up golden brown with all the tastebud benefits of a homemade yeast bread or potato bread...only without all the hassle. There's no rolling either when it comes to kolache assembly time.

Is It a Kolache or a Klobasknek?!

A kolache (pronounced "koh-lah-chee) is actually a sweet pastry that originated from the Czech immigration to Texas. It's made with a soft, yeast dough with a divot in the center that typically houses some sort of sweetened cream cheese, fruit jam (often apricot or prune), and/or poppy seeds.

However, if you were to ask a Texan what a kolache is, you should ready yourself for an entirely different explanation. So, what is a Texas kolache?

The Texas Kolache

What Texans refer to as kolaches are actually klobaskneks (pronounces klo-bah-sneek), a cousin of the kolache.

So, why all the confusion? Blame the dough.

Klobaskneks (kolaches filled with sausage) and kolaches are made from the same, sweet pastry dough. That's right: one dough, two separate things. One's sweet and the other is über savory. Think of a Texas kolache kind of like a giant pig in a blanket or a wrapped-up hot dog.

You'll find klobaskneks at just about every Shipley's Do-nuts shop in Texas along with glazed donuts and breakfast tacos. However, throughout most of the Lone-Star State, even though this savory, meat-filled pastry is actually a klobasknek, you won't hear it called that. To us, it's a Texas kolache. So, that's what we refer to it as in this post!

How to Make Texas Kolache Dough

Whether you're making kolaches or Texas kolaches, here's a crash course on how to make the dough.

Mix Butter + Milk | Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a smooth consistency. Do not allow it to brown. Add the milk as soon as it has melted, stirring until blended. Set aside.

Mix Dry Ingredients | Add the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low until combined.

Combine Dry Mix with Wet Ingredients | Switch out the paddle attachment for the dough hook and add the milk/butter mixture, as well as the egg and the egg yolk. Mix on low for about 1 minute, then, increase the speed to medium (#6 on KitchenAid stand mixer) and knead for 8 minutes.

Prep Saucepan + Oven | In the meantime, add about 3 cups of water to a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Then, grease a large bowl. You'll also need to arrange your oven racks so that you can fit the saucepan on the floor of the oven with a rack situated above it. Your large bowl will go on top of the rack. The bowl does not need to be oven safe.

Transfer Dough | Once the dough has finished kneading (it will soft and somewhat sticky), use floured hands to form it into a ball and transfer it the greased bowl.

Proof Dough | Place the saucepan of boiling water on the oven floor and the bowl on the rack above it. Close the oven door and allow the dough to proof for 1-to-1-½ hour, until it has doubled in size.

Divide Dough | Remove the bowl from the oven (leave the saucepan in) and punch down the dough. On a floured work surface, divide it into 4 equal pieces, and then divide each of those pieces into quarters. You should have 16 pieces of dough.

Roll Dough | Roll the dough into balls and transfer to 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing them about 2 to 3 inches apart. Close the oven door and allow to proof for 90 minutes.

Remove both pans and the saucepan from the oven and preheat it to 350°F.

Sausage Kolache Recipe

To turn a kolache into a Texas Kolache, skip the divot and the sweet filling and grab yourself something savory and meaty to stuff inside. Our top picks are sausage and ham and cheese.

There are quite a few sausage options, but make sure the sausage is fully cooked. You can use Eckrich breakfast sausage links, Kiolbassa pork links, or our favorite, Slovacek sausage links cut in half (although a link left whole makes for a hearty breakfast bite).

Cut Sausage/Filling to Appropriate Size | Whatever filling you choose, make sure it is cut down to the right size before you go to work. Cut the links into 3-inch pieces, and then split each piece lengthwise.

Wrap Filling with Dough | To assemble, wrap each dough ball around a piece of sausage until it is fully enclosed and pinch to seal any seams.

Bake | Then, it goes onto the baking sheet and into a 350°F oven to bake for about 22 to 25 minutes.

Remove from Oven | Once the dough has a beautiful golden sheen to it, pull out the pan, and you're done!

More Kolache Fillings to Try

• Sausage + Cheese | Add ½ slice of cheese and sausage.
• Jalapeno Cheese | Add pickled jalapenos, a half slice of cheese, and jalapeno cheese sausage
• Ham + Cheese | Roll 2 pieces of thinly sliced ham around a ½ slice of American cheese
• Boudin | East Texas is no stranger to the delicious delicacy that is boudin (sausage mixed with rice). Carefully slice a link of boudin into 3" pieces and place in center of kolache.
• Brisket | Add a ¼ cup of cooked and chopped Texas brisket to the center. A ½ slice of pepper jack and a few pickled jalapenos would be delicious.

How to Store Texas Kolaches

Make-Ahead | Make dough as directed. Once you get to the second rise portion of the recipe, transfer the dough balls (on the sheet pans), spritz the tops with oil, and lightly cover with plastic wrap. Transfer to the fridge and allow to complete the second rise overnight. Assemble kolaches within 24 hours.

Serve | Whether you prepare and serve, make ahead, or reheat, there's never a wrong time to serve this adored breakfast/brunch treat. Include warm kolaches in a morning-meal spread alongside baked donuts, scrambled eggs, fruit, and even a Bloody Mary bar if you're celebrating! Texas kolaches go with just about any breakfast food.

Keep | Store baked and cooled kolaches in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will stay good for up to 4 days.

Freeze | Allow them to cool to room temperature, then wrap each kolache individually with a small sheet of wax paper, and transfer them to an airtight, freezer-safe container or a freezer-safe zip-top, gallon-sized bag.

If using a container, use one that houses them snugly. If using a zip-top bag, be sure to remove as much air as possible before sealing.

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