Frgal Kolach with Pear Filling

A Guide to My Frgal Kolach with Pear Filling

Hello! I’m Tom the Chef, and I’m excited to share my detailed recipe for Frgal Kolach with Pear Filling. If you’re familiar with a kolach, think of the frgal as its special, large counterpart from central Europe. In this guide, I’ll walk you through making two large, beautiful pastries. We will master the yeasted dough, starting with the leaven. We will also create a flavorful, homemade spiced pear filling from scratch and finish it all with a classic buttery streusel. This baking recipe is comprehensive, ensuring you have all the steps needed for a wonderful result using bread flour and active dry yeasts.

Mastering the Leaven for Frgal Kolach with Pear Filling

The very first step in my Frgal Kolach with Pear Filling recipe is preparing the leaven, and it’s crucial for a light, airy yeasted dough. I start by placing all the leaven ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. This includes ½ cup of lukewarm milk, which I preheat in the microwave to about 90 to 100°F. This temperature is important because it activates the yeast without killing it. Along with the milk, I add ½ cup of bread flour (all-purpose works too), 2 TBSP of confectioners’ sugar, and 1 TBSP of active dry yeasts. I use a whisk to stir this mixture thoroughly for about 1 minute until it’s fully combined and smooth. Then, I cover the bowl with a plate or plastic wrap. You’ll set this aside in a warm place for about 15 to 30 minutes. You’re looking for it to double in volume; this shows the yeast is active and ready to make your frgal dough rise beautifully.

Kneading the Dough: Tips for the Perfect Texture

Once the leaven is ready, we move on to the yeasted dough for the Frgal Kolach with Pear Filling. After whisking the egg, sugar, butter, leaven, zest, and salt, I swap to the hook attachment on my kitchen mixer. I add the 2 cups of bread flour and the final ¼ cup of lukewarm milk. I start kneading on slow speed for about 1 minute just to get the ingredients partially combined. Then, I increase the speed to high. This is where you need to be patient. The goal is to knead until the dough is compact and stops sticking to the bowl. It might have a little residue, but the majority of the dough should follow the hook.

I have to emphasize an important note here: This kneading process can be quick, sometimes only 2 minutes, but often it requires 6 to 9 minutes, and I’ve even seen it take up to 10 minutes. At first, the kolach dough will seem too sticky. You must resist the urge to add flour right away. Trust the process! Eventually, it should start pulling away from the sides. Even when it’s done, it might still be slightly sticky, but as long as the majority follows the hook, you’re good. If you’ve gone past 10 minutes and it’s just hopelessly sticky, I recommend adding 1 tbsp of flour and mixing for another minute or two. This usually solves it. If not, add more flour, 1 tbsp at a time, mixing after each addition until resolved. Try not to add more flour than necessary to achieve the desired frgal dough texture.

Creating the Homemade Spiced Pear Filling

The heart of this Frgal Kolach with Pear Filling is, of course, the pear filling. I start with 2 LB of pears. I make sure to clean the fruit thoroughly under cold water, then I remove the core and stems. A key point here is: do not peel the pears! I just roughly chop them into pieces. To cook them, I place the pears in a small saucepan on medium heat with 1 cup of water, 1 ½ cups of granulated sugar, and 1 TSP of anise seeds. I bring this to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Then, I cover it with a lid and let it cook for about 10 minutes, still stirring sometimes.

To finish the pear filling, I remove the lid and continue cooking to reduce the liquid. You want it to reduce by at least half, but be careful not to let the sugar caramelize. This takes about 5 to 10 minutes. I then remove it from the stove. While it’s still in the pot, I use an immersion blender very briefly—just about 5 seconds. Finally, I stir in 2 TSP of rum essence, 2 TSP of vanilla extract, and ½ cup of breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs are key to thickening the filling so it doesn’t make the frgal soggy during baking. I set this aside to cool. You can spread it on the dough when it’s partially or fully cooled. As a note, you *can* simplify the process by using store-bought preserves or marmalade, but this homemade pear filling is what makes the kolach special.

Preparing the Buttery Streusel

You can’s have a proper Frgal Kolach with Pear Filling without a generous layer of streusel. I make mine in a kitchen mixer with a whisk attachment, which is quick and easy. I simply place 1 stick of butter, ¾ cup of all-purpose flour, and ¾ cup of granulated sugar into the bowl. I then process it at medium speed. It only takes about 2 to 3 minutes for it to become fully combined and reach that perfect crumbly texture. I set this aside, and it will be ready to sprinkle over the pear filling right before baking.

How to Form the Large Frgal Shape

Forming the frgal is a specific process that gives this kolach its signature large, flat, round shape for my Frgal Kolach with Pear Filling recipe. First, I get my parchment paper ready. I take a regular plate and draw a circle on the parchment paper with a diameter between 11 and 12 inches. This gives me a perfect guide. After the yeasted dough has risen (it should be double or triple in size!), I split it in half on a surface *without* flour—each half will be one frgal. I place one piece of dough on each of the prepared parchment papers. Then, using a rolling pin, I roll the dough out to the edges of the drawn circle. It’s important that you *do not* use any additional flour while forming the frgal. The dough should be workable enough without it. During or after rolling, I often use a bowl scraper to adjust the dough and help it reach a nice, even circle shape.

Assembling and Baking Your Frgal Kolach

Once your frgal is formed, the pear filling is cool, and the streusel is ready, it’s time to assemble. First, I hand-whisk 1 egg in a small bowl. I use a silicone brush to brush the whole diameter of both frgals. There’s no need to brush the center, as that’s where the pear filling will go. Next, I spread the filling. Remember, the filling and streusel amounts in the recipe are for both frgals, so I split them in half. I place the filling in the center and distribute it evenly, leaving about a ½-inch edge of the diameter without any filling. Then, I sprinkle both frgals evenly with the buttery streusel. Before baking, I let them proof at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes.

For the baking, I preheat my oven to 370°F. Convection ovens work best for this, but a regular oven is fine for baking both frgals together. I bake them until the edges turn a nice, lightly brown, appetizing color, which usually takes 15-20 minutes. A very important step is to rotate the baking sheets in the middle of baking, around the 10-minute mark. This ensures an even bake. When they’re done, I remove them from the oven. Please be aware, the pear filling is extremely hot right after baking, so let the Frgal Kolach with Pear Filling cool fully, or at least partially, before serving.