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[BEST] Kolaches in Texas


KAPDADDY

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Kolache.

Something about that word makes every tastebud on my tongue spring to life as if it were a 13 yr old boy viewing a nudie flick for the very first time. The combination of light and airy, slightly sweet bread with gooey cheese, fluffy eggs, and smoky meats is surely one of the greatest foods ever created. And then we have the fruit-filled version, almost dessert-like in nature, but perhaps even more loved than the former. Add cream cheese to a fruit kolache and you have unbridled nirvana in the palm of your hand.

I have made it my goal to become the leading authority, The Kingpin of Kolaches if you will, in the state of Texas. I want to find the biggest, the tastiest, the most unique kolaches this state has to offer. Who has the best bread? Who has the best fillings? Variety matters too. But quality is my main concern.

Let me hear your thoughts. Post websites, addresses, reviews, or any information that you may have. I will keep you all updated about my findings. Kolaches or bust - that's my new motto.

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Caldwell, TX has the reputation for being the Kolache capital of Texas, although you’ll probably get some arguments from other locales. This site has a few recipes. There are plenty of other Kolache sites. A Google will bring up quite a few. All Recipes has 7. Most of what I find are sweet fillings but the savory appeals much more to me. I'm anxious to see what is contributed here.

--------------

Bob Bowen

aka Huevos del Toro

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Up until a few months ago, I worked downtown for many years. The high point was when a Kolache Shop opened in the tunnel level of my building. I know it is a chain but those hot polish sausages were my downfall. That shop did them just right. I would walk up to the counter and my "spiritual momma" would say... "Hot polish?" AAAHHH... Another breakfast succesfully captured.

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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My best friend's wife is Czech (they live here in Chicago--an excellent town for Czech & Polish cuisine, btw) and when they bring us our Christmas basket full of baked goods, it's usually war between the wife and I over its contents. A generous (but never generous enough :sad:) sampling of kolaches is always included...

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

LTHForum.com -- The definitive Chicago-based culinary chat site

ronnie_suburban 'at' yahoo.com

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My vote would go to Weikel's in La Grange.

Gee, Kolache's isn't what I remember La Grange for! :cool:

A haw, haw, haw.

Wow. Along those same lines, you'll never guess who I ate my first kolache at Weikel's with: Marvin Zindler, about five years ago, right after his wife died. Since then my in-laws moved right outside of La Grange; therefore I get the Weikel's kolache treat far too often :laugh: . I believe they also do a raging mail-order business as well. I highly enjoy them.

Edit: Oddly, to me, sweet kolaches go well with bbq.

Edited by Lyle (log)

Rice pie is nice.

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My vote would go to Weikel's in La Grange.

Gee, Kolache's isn't what I remember La Grange for! :cool:

A haw, haw, haw.

Wow. Along those same lines, you'll never guess who I ate my first kolache at Weikel's with: Marvin Zindler, about five years ago, right after his wife died.

Wow, is Marvin Zindler still alive?

Is he still doing his slime-in-the-ice-machines reports?

One of those things that stay with you forever.

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Last I heard he was alive and periodically broadcasting and remarried. That's year-old info, though. I didn't really have a close relationship with him, only with one of his granddaughters who I haven't talked to in awhile. But if he's still with us be sure he's currently bettin' him some horsies :smile: .

And yes, if he's still broadcasting, its slime slime all the time.

Rice pie is nice.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Where is Morning's Kolaches? In your opinion, what makes them so good? I need to find a kolache fix.

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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There are at least four or five Czech bakeries in West, Texas. I can't remember the name of the one I like best - because they're all good.

But I think I've had best luck with the one where you exit I35 and head east, go over the railroad tracks and turn left, then about a half-block on the right. Next to the Czech butchershop.

They're good.

:rolleyes:

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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Fifi,

Morning's has three locations. Not exactly sure where you live, but the closest to you would probably be the one over near Johnson Space Center and UH-Clear Lake on Bay Area Blvd(2402). The other two are located in La Porte and Deer Park.

I've only had the chance to sample their kolaches once because they're all so far away from me, but they were easily the best kolaches I've had so far, especially the cream cheese. I'll admit, I'm a bigger fan of the meat filled kolaches than I am the fruit or cheese variety, but those cheese kolaches were darn good. The bread was probably my favorite part of the kolaches. Light, sweet, fresh, and most important to me, not overly greasy. I hate kolaches that are so greasy the bread turns to mush.

They don't skimp on the fillings either. Good bread to filling ratio, was able to get a good taste of both in every bite. Good size. Not big, but not small either.

If you need a good kolache and are in the area, Morning's is the place to go.

Edited by KAPDADDY (log)
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There are at least four or five Czech bakeries in West, Texas.  I can't remember the name of the one I like best - because they're all good.

But I think I've had best luck with the one where you exit I35 and head east, go over the railroad tracks and turn left, then about a half-block on the right.  Next to the Czech butchershop.

They're good.

:rolleyes:

I'll second that, although the shops right off the freeway (the ones next to the gas stations) seemed to have lost something. Not bad, but not as good as a few years ago.

Ron Stone did a segment on a little homey place in West. I'd like to say Annie's, but I'm only 2% certain. The elderly lady still used her grandma's wooden spoon to mix the dough.

Now to get the yellow pages and look up Morning's. Hope they have hot chubbies.

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  • 3 years later...

I'm with Kent, I want to see some really great Kolache fillings. My grandmother was Czech and made wonderful kolaches, but they were made with the typical fillings. A couple of months ago, a buddy of mine and I experimented with three different fillings for Kolaches. We made a Valrhona chocolate & cream cheese, apricot rehydrated with Shiner Bock, and sour cherry rehydrated w/ sauvignon blanc w/ eppoisse cheese.

Sometimes ideas sound better on paper than when you bite into them. The sour cherry/eppoisse was one of those ideas. We thought that since eppoisse goes so well with pinot noir, and since cherry is such a predominant flavor in pinot, that it made complete since to put them in a kolache... :hmmm: ...I don't think I'll ever smell eppoisse in the same way again. Take a relatively smelly cheese to begin with and then cook it inside a kolache...makes the kitchen smell wonderful for days! :wacko:

Maybe with some tweaking it could work, but I haven't been brave enough to try it again.

I'd love to know some other people's ideas about kolache fillings--minus those canned fillings that most folks use.

Edited by Morgan_Weber (log)
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