This Homemade Czech Poppy Seed Kolache Recipe yields pillowy soft kolaches filled with poppy seed pudding and topped with posipka (streusel) and lemon icing. The recipe for these brioche-like buns comes from my husband's Texas-Czech family, whose ancestors hail from what is modern-day Czech Republic.
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As a Texan, I grew up with a knowledge of Czech kolaches, and would occasionally get them while traveling on road trips in Texas. But, it wasn't until I met my partner, Cody, that I got to eat scratch-made kolaches and eventually make them myself, using his family's treasured recipes. I am partial to fruit kolaches with cream cheese, but real kolache eaters almost always prefer a poppy seed kolache, or one with prune filling. I've grown very fond of these little breads/pastries recently, especially after making them myself. So whether you're a fan of poppy seeds, or new to them, I think you'll love this flavor too.
The base recipe is from my Traditional Texas-Czech Kolaches, which is adapted from my partner's family, but I added a tangzhong paste. If you're unfamiliar with that, don't worry, it is very simple. You just heat together milk, flour and water together until it forms a paste. It is super quick to do, but makes a lasting impact on how moist the kolaches stay for days after. If poppy seed isn't your thing, I recommend my Pumpkin Cheesecake Kolaches. The filling recipe features pumpkin and cream cheese, which is such a delicious combo for fall, or any time of year really.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- These have plenty of poppy seed flavor thanks to the abundant filling.
- The bread stays moist for days due to the tangzhong.
- This recipe makes enough for a crowd, making them perfect for a party.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour is the base of the dough and makes for a plush crumb.
- Granulated sugar sweetens the dough and the poppyseed filling.
- Whole milk brings moisture to the filling and the dough.
- Instant dry yeast gives the bread rise. It can be substituted for active dry yeast in equal amounts. Instant yeast can also be called rapid rise bread machine yeast.
- Poppy seeds flavor the homemade poppy seed filling with their earthy sweetness.
- Eggs give structure to the dough and the filling.
- Cornstarch thickens the poppy seed kolache filling.
- Kosher salt and vanilla extract balance the overall flavor profile.
- Unsalted butter brings richness to the dough and the filling.
- Oil brings lasting moisture and richness to the dough.
- Diastatic malt powder improves the rise, texture, and crust, but is completely optional.
- Lemon juice and powdered sugar (not pictured) make a quick glaze (optional).
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here's how to customize this homemade Czech poppy seed kolache recipe to your liking:
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- Bake apart — bake farther apart on the baking sheet if you do not want the kolaches to touch. I did this for aesthetic purposes in the photos, but traditionally they are baked touching.
- Poppy seed rolls — my mother-in-law will often use some of her kolache dough to make poppy seed rolls or cinnamon rolls. You can do this too. Roll out the dough on a lightly-floured surface with a rolling pin into a rectangle. Place some of the filling on top, spreading to the edges. Roll up from the long side. Slice with a very sharp knife or dental floss. Allow the rolls to proof one hour before baking at the same temperature until golden brown. A roll's internal temperature should be 195°F-200°F.
- Different filling — Kolaches are very forgiving, and you can fill them with almost anything, including these traditional fillings: for a fruit filling, I'll usually use store-bought fruit jam or you can make a quick jam with most fruits by heating together fruit with sugar (to taste) and some lemon juice. For a cheese filling, I prefer cream cheese, but a lot of folks traditionally use cottage cheese. It is important to make sure your fillings are cold or room temperature. Do not add warm fillings to the kolache dough.
- Ground poppy seed filling — Combine 2 cups of ground poppy seeds, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1 cup boiling whole milk in a medium pot and cook over medium-low heat until thickened. Let cool completely before using. It will thicken as it cools. Grind poppy seeds in a food processor, a clean coffee grinder or spice grinder.
- Lemon — add a teaspoon of lemon zest to the dough and/or the filling.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make this homemade czech poppy seed kolache recipe
Step 1: Warm the milk on the stove or in the microwave until lukewarm. Add the poppy seeds to the lukewarm milk, cover and let sit for at least 2 hours. In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan or over a double boiler, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch to remove any lumps. Then add the poppy seed milk mixture, as well as the eggs. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the butter, vanilla and salt and stir until combined and the butter melts in. Transfer to a bowl or a sheet pan, and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator until completely cool. This could take up to 2 hours, or less, if you spread it thin on a sheet pan.
Step 2: Combine the tangzhong ingredients in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Whisk and heat until it becomes a thick paste. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together 2 cups of the flour (240g), the instant yeast, sugar, salt and diastatic malt powder, if using. Warm the milk to 100-110°F. Add the paddle attachment to the mixer and stream in the warm milk while mixing on low speed. When combined, turn the mixer off and let sit for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast. Add the tangzhong, oil, butter and egg and the rest of the flour (3 cups or 360g) to the yeast mixture. Switch to the dough hook. Continue mixing. If the dough looks too wet and sticks to the sides of the bowl, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix with the dough hook on medium speed for 6-8 minutes. When the dough starts looking smooth, conduct the windowpane test. Pinch off a small bit of dough. Slowly pull the dough out from the center with your fingers. If the dough is ready, you will be able to stretch it until it’s thin and translucent like a windowpane. If the dough tears, it’s not ready yet. Beat for 1 more minute, and test again. When the dough passes the test, transfer to a large greased bowl and cover. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Step 3: Make the posipka (streusel): Whisk together flour, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Cut butter into dry whisked ingredients with a pastry blender or two knives until you have a fine crumb. Set aside. Shape the kolaches: Punch down the dough after rising. Pinch off egg-size sections of dough (about 40g each for smaller kolaches and 60g each for larger ones) and roll into balls. Place 20 balls per sheet in 4 rows of 5 on a greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Press down the centers of each kolache with thumbs or a tamper.
Step 4: Fill the divots with about 2 tablespoons of the cooled poppy seed filling. Sprinkle with posipka, if desired, or leave plain to add icing later. Cover with an inverted baking sheet and proof for 20 minutes. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until lightly golden in color. Brush edges with melted butter after baking, if desired. Cool on a wire rack. To make the glaze (optional): Add half of the lemon juice to the powdered sugar and whisk. Use more, as needed, to get your desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled kolaches.
Top tips
- To roll the balls faster, place them on a countertop and place a greased hand lightly on top just barely making contact, moving your hand in a circular motion, maintaining contact with the countertop the entire time. Here’s a video tutorial.
- Bake farther apart on the baking sheet if you do not want the kolaches to touch. I did this for aesthetic purposes in the photos, but traditionally they are baked touching.
- I like to use a kitchen scale to measure the dough balls for uniformity.
Recipe FAQs
Store kolaches in an airtight container. For kolaches filled with dairy-based fillings, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat on a microwave safe plate in the microwave for 15 seconds.
Yes, skip the tangzhong if you’d like. It is very quick to do and helps the kolaches stay softer for longer though so I highly recommend it.
Yes, you can skip the posipka and/or garnish with icing instead.
This is not recommended as the recipe has not been tested with yolks only.
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📖 Recipe
Homemade Czech Poppy Seed Kolache Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Poppy seed filling
- 1 cup poppy seeds whole, not ground (146g)
- 1 ¼ cup whole milk (293g)
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar (250g)
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Tangzhong
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour (20g)
- 2 tablespoon water (27g)
- 4 tablespoon whole milk (60g)
Dough
- 5 cups all-purpose flour (600g) more as needed
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast (9g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon diastatic malt powder optional
- 1 ½ cups whole milk (365g)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (54g)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature (56g)
- 1 large egg room temperature
Posipka (streusel topping)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (30g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter (28g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Lemon glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar (132g)
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
Other
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted, for brushing (optional)
Instructions
Do ahead
- Warm the milk on the stove or in the microwave until lukewarm. Add the poppy seeds, cover and let sit for at least 2 hours.
Make the poppy seed filling
- In a heavy-bottomed pot or over a double boiler, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch to remove any lumps. Then add the poppy seeds and the milk they were soaked in, as well as the eggs.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the butter, vanilla and salt and stir until combined and the butter melts in.
- Transfer to a bowl or a sheet pan, and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator until completely cool. This could take up to 2 hours, or less if you spread it thin on a sheet pan.
Make the tangzhong
- Combine the tangzhong ingredients in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Whisk and heat until it becomes a thick paste. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Start the dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together 2 cups of the flour (240g), the instant yeast, sugar, salt and diastatic malt powder, if using.
- Warm the milk to 100-110°F. Add the paddle attachment to the mixer and stream in the warm milk while mixing on the lowest setting. When combined, turn the mixer off and let sit for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast.
- Add the tangzhong, oil, butter and egg and the rest of the flour (3 cups or 360g). Switch to the dough hook. Continue mixing. If the dough looks too wet and sticks to the sides of the bowl, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
Knead the dough
- Mix with the dough hook on medium speed for 6-8 minutes. When the dough starts looking smooth, conduct the windowpane test. Pinch off a small bit of dough. Slowly pull the dough out from the center with your fingers. If the dough is ready, you will be able to stretch it until it’s thin and translucent like a windowpane. If the dough tears, it’s not ready yet. Beat for 2-3 more minutes, and test again.
- When the dough passes the test, transfer to a large greased bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Make the posipka (streusel)
- Whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Cut butter into dry whisked ingredients with a pastry blender or two knives until you have a fine crumb. Set aside.
Shape the kolaches
- Punch down the dough after rising. Pinch off egg-size sections of dough (about 40g each for smaller kolaches and 60g each for larger ones) and roll into balls*. Place 20 balls per sheet in 4 rows of 5 on a greased baking sheet**. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Firmly press down the centers of each kolache with thumbs or a tamper.
- Fill the divots with about 2 tablespoons of the cooled poppy seed filling. Sprinkle with posipka, if desired, or leave plain to add icing later. Cover with an inverted baking sheet and proof for 20 minutes.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until lightly golden in color. Brush edges with melted butter after baking, if desired.
- To make the glaze (optional): Add half of the lemon juice to the powdered sugar and whisk. Use more, as needed, to get your desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled kolaches.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published 04/30/2025.
These are pillowy soft and the poppy seed flavor is potent! Full disclosure, I am the author of this recipe.