Ingredients

• 2/3 of a large cake of fresh yeast or 2 small cakes fresh yeast or two small packets of dry yeast
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 cups all-purpose sifted flour
• apricot, poppy seed, nut, or prune filling (see below)

(Separate ingredients and instructions for making homemade fillings are farther down this page.)

Method

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Scald milk (heat it just short of boiling), add sugar, and cool to lukewarm.

Add melted margarine, beaten eggs, and salt. Mix with yeast.

Add flour and mix well with a wooden spoon. Let rise, covered, until doubled. Then divide into four equal parts for small rolls or two equal parts for larger rolls (see pictures below).

Knead each one lightly and then roll out with a rolling pin on a floured board so its longest dimension will fit a 9 x 13″ baking pan. Don’t roll it too thin or it will tear when you spread the filling over it.

Spread a pastry filling of your choice (usually poppy seed, ground nuts, apricot or prune) evenly over the surface of the dough. Be generous with the filling, perhaps spreading it 1/4″ thick. When finished, roll it all up like a jelly roll.

Place all rolls on greased baking sheets, cover them and let them rise until doubled.

Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for 25 minutes or until done. Tip: Check on it at 20 minutes. If it’s already a nice brown color, you can take it out.

Remove it from oven and brush the rolls with butter while warm in the pan.

---

Homemade Kolac Nut Filling

These proportions will fill two nut rolls:

Mix together 1 lb. ground walnuts, 1 cup plain bread crumbs, 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, and 1 tbsp. melted butter

Use a food processor, not a blender, to grind the nuts. Go for a fine grain (almost like sand) and a consistent grain size that will clump together when pinched due to the natural oils.

Homemade Poppy Seed Filling

Mix together 1/2 lb. ground poppy seed, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup scalded evaporated milk, and 1 tbsp. melted butter

Apricot Filling, notes

Solo brand apricot filling tends to be too liquid, oozing instead of staying put in the roll. Agnes Kachurek used to add corn starch to thicken it. She preferred the house-brand of apricot filling from a Youngstown grocery store that is called Rulli Brothers. One can also experiment with apricot jam, apricot preserves, etc.

One Solo-brand can of filling will fill one kolac roll. Each of the Heinen’s containers of fillings (below) will fill one large kolac roll as well.

– Grandma Agnes Kachurek’s recipe