Kołocz śląski
Kołocz śląski: Silesian yeasted sheet cake with sweet cheese topping and butter crumble
Silesian weddings once had kołocz delivered to every neighbour as a thank-you, and the wide trays still appear at christenings, harvest festivals and church fairs in Opole and around Katowice. The base is a soft, lightly sweet yeast dough, spread with a thick layer of vanilla twaróg and covered with a buttery crumble that bakes into craggy golden lumps. It keeps well for two days and cuts into neat squares for coffee. A common mistake is baking it before the dough has had its second rise under the topping, which gives a dense, bready base. Twaróg is usually rennet-free, but check the label. Chef's tip: keep the crumble in the fridge until the last moment so it stays in distinct lumps in the oven.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- ¼ oz instant dried yeast
- 2 ⅞ oz sugar
- 1 cup whole milklukewarm
- 1 egg
- 2 ⅞ oz buttermelted and cooled
- 1 pinch salt
For the cheese topping
- 1 ⅔ lb twaróg (Polish curd cheese)pressed smooth
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp custard powder
- 2 ⅛ oz raisins (optional)
For the crumble
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 3 ½ oz buttercold, diced
- 3 ½ oz sugar
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ¼ oz instant dried yeast, 2 ⅞ oz sugar and 1 pinch salt in a large bowl. Add 1 cup whole milk, 2 egg yolks and 1 egg and knead for 5 minutes, then work in 2 ⅞ oz butter a little at a time and knead 5 minutes more, until the dough is smooth, glossy and leaves the bowl clean.
12 minStep 2: Cover and leave somewhere warm for about 1 hour, until doubled.
60 minStep 3: Meanwhile beat 1 ⅔ lb twaróg (Polish curd cheese), 5 ½ oz sugar, 2 eggs, 2 tsp vanilla extract and 2 tbsp custard powder until smooth and spreadable. Stir in 2 ⅛ oz raisins if using.
5 minStep 4: Rub 5 ½ oz plain flour, 3 ½ oz butter and 3 ½ oz sugar between your fingertips until it forms pea-sized lumps. Chill.
5 minStep 5: Butter and line a 30 × 40 cm baking tray. Press the risen dough out to fill it evenly, spread the cheese over and scatter the crumble on top.
8 minStep 6: Leave to rise again for 20–25 minutes, until the edges of the dough look puffy. Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan).
25 minStep 7: Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the crumble is golden and a skewer in the dough comes out clean. Cool in the tray before cutting into squares.
40 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kołocz śląski take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 110 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Reform torta
Belgrade pastry shops have sold reform torta since the early twentieth century, and it is still the cake Serbian families bring out for birthdays, weddings and the slava. Three thin layers of walnut meringue, crisp at the edge and chewy inside, are stacked with a dense chocolate butter cream made with egg yolks cooked over steam until thick. It is very rich, so cut thin slices and serve with strong coffee. The usual slip is beating the butter into a chocolate mixture that is still warm, which melts it and splits the cream; let it cool to room temperature first. Chef's tip: assemble the cake the day before; overnight in the fridge the meringue softens a little and the cake slices cleanly with a hot knife.
Zapiekanka
Zapiekanka is Polish street food born in the 1970s and perfected at the hatch windows around Plac Nowy in Kraków's Kazimierz district, where students and night owls queue for one at midnight. Half a long baguette is topped with mushrooms fried with onion, covered in grated cheese and baked until crisp at the edges and bubbling, then finished with a zigzag of ketchup and chives. The classic version has no meat at all. Use a hard cheese made with vegetarian rennet (many supermarket mild Cheddars and Goudas are). Chef's tip: fry the mushrooms until completely dry before they go on the bread; wet mushrooms make the baguette soggy instead of crisp.
Ma'amoul
Ma'amoul are delicate shortbread-like pastries made for Eid and Easter across the Middle East. A soft, rose-scented butter dough is wrapped around a filling of dates, walnuts, almonds and pistachios cooked with cinnamon, marked with a fork, baked pale and dusted with icing sugar. Makes 35; they keep well in a tin.