Grandma's Kolache (24 servings) 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar 1/4 cup shortening 1/4 cup softened butter 1 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 3/4 cup warm water (ideally 110 degrees) 2 packages dry yeast 4 cups all-purpose flour your favorite jelly or preserves for filling (about 1 and 1/2 cups) I'll never be able to make kolache as well as my grandma did, but this comes pretty close. She was Czechoslovakian so making this Czech pastry was in her blood. I've been told by relatives that her secret was patience and practice. Over time, she perfected the amount of kneading and the precise thickness of the dough. She didn't need measuring spoons to know how much filling each kolach should hold. It stands to reason that Kolache is also in my blood since I'm her grandson. It's also in my stomach since I just ate all the kolache you see here. I filled some of my kolache with a wonderful Homemade Lemon Curd. The rest I filled with lingonberry preserves from IKEA. You can fill yours with any favorite jam or fruit preserve. How To Make Grandma's Kolache In a large mixing bowl, use an electric beater to cream together 1/2 cup sugar, the shortening, the butter, the salt and the eggs. Stir 1 Tablespoon of sugar into the warm water. Then sprinkle the yeast over the sweetened water. Let this set a few minutes until the yeast starts to bloom and get foamy. Stir the water and yeast into the creamed mixture. Add flour a 1/2 cup at a time to the mixture in the large mixing bowl. (With the first 2 cups of flour you can mix it in with the electric beater set to slow. For the next 2 cups, you'll probably want to use a wooden paddle or a firm spatula.) Mix until well-combined. Let dough rise in warm place for about 1 and 1/2 hours until almost doubled in size. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a well floured surface. Flatten it to rectangle and divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth round ball. Place balls on a greased baking sheet. Cover with cloth and let rest about 15 minutes. Form balls of dough into flat 4-inch squares. Place 1 tablespoonful of filling into the center of each square. Bring opposite corners of the squares together. Moisten with milk, overlap about 1 inch and seal well. Let rise about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the kolache for 15 to 18 minutes or until brown. Brush with melted butter and dust lightly with confectioners' sugar. Serve warm or cold. Please Note: The step-by-step pictures reflect a half-batch of this recipe. My grandma is Czechoslovakian and so are her Kolaches. You can fill these with any favorite jam or fruit preserve. Mr Breakfast would like to thank Mr Breakfast for this recipe. Recipe number 193. Submitted 5/5/2002.