While many know kolaches, the Frgal is a special, large version popular in central Europe. This detailed recipe for Frgal Kolach with Plum Filling will guide you through creating two beautiful, large pastries. We'll cover everything from the rich, yeasted leaven and tender yeasted dough to a delicious homemade plum filling.
Tom the Chef Founder
Let’s talk about important parts of the recipe before you start…
The very first step in my Frgal Kolach with Plum Filling recipe is creating the leaven. This isn’t just mixing ingredients; it’s about activating the 1 TBSP of active dry yeasts. I have you combine the yeast with lukewarm milk (specifically ½ cup, preheated in the microwave to about 90 to 100°F), ½ cup of bread flour, and 2 TBSP of confectioners’ sugar. Using lukewarm milk is vital; if it’s too hot, it will harm the yeast, and if it’s too cold, it won’t activate properly. After stirring this mixture thoroughly, I instruct you to cover it with a plate or plastic wrap and set it aside. You are looking for it to double in volume, which usually takes about 15 to 30 minutes. This visual cue tells you the yeast is alive and ready to make your yeasted dough rise beautifully.
After we mix the initial dough ingredients (1 egg, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 stick of room temperature butter, the leaven, lemon zest, and ¼ TSP salt), we add the 2 cups of bread flour and another ¼ cup of lukewarm milk. This is where the kneading begins, and it’s a key part of this Frgal kolach recipe. The recipe notes that this process can take anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes. I want to emphasize this because it’s important not to worry if the dough seems too sticky at first. It often does!
You must give the mixer (with the hook attachment) time to work. The dough should eventually start pulling away from the sides of the bowl. It might still be a little sticky when done, but the majority, if not all, of the dough should follow the hook during kneading. If you’ve passed 10 minutes and it’s still unworkably sticky, the recipe allows for adding 1 tbsp of flour at a time, mixing after each addition. The goal for this Frgal Kolach with Plum Filling is a compact yeasted dough that is manageable, so just be patient with the baking process.
Let’s talk about the homemade plum filling. We use 2 LB of prunes (or plums), 1 cup of water, and 1 ½ cups of granulated sugar. After simmering and reducing the fruit (about 10 minutes covered, then 5-10 minutes uncovered), I have you process it *briefly* with an immersion blender. We still want some texture. But the most important step here is adding the ½ cup of regular breadcrumbs. This might seem unusual, but the breadcrumbs are essential for this Frgal. Their job is to absorb excess moisture from the plum filling during baking. This prevents the filling from becoming too watery and making the yeasted dough of your Frgal soggy. It ensures you get a clean slice and a perfect texture.
As a note, the recipe does mention you can simplify this step by using store-bought preserves or marmalade, which is a modification that is not part of the base recipe. If you do, you’ll want at least 1 cup, and preferably 1 ½ to 2 cups, per Frgal.
The streusel is the crowning glory of this Frgal Kolach with Plum Filling. My method is straightforward and effective. I have you place 1 stick of butter, ¾ cup of all-purpose flour, and ¾ cup of granulated sugar into a kitchen mixer with a whisk attachment. Using the whisk attachment (not a paddle) and processing at medium speed for 2-3 minutes is the key. This technique breaks the butter into the flour and sugar, creating those perfect, crumbly streusel pieces that add a wonderful texture to the final baked Frgal.
My recipe for this kolach has a very specific instruction for forming the dough, which is key to its final shape. After the yeasted dough has doubled or tripled in size (about 2 hours), we split it in half. You’ll place each half on parchment paper where you’ve drawn an 11-12” circle. The most important part of this step is: Do not use any additional flour while forming the Frgal. The dough should be manageable enough from the kneading process to be rolled out directly on the parchment using a rolling pin. We want to preserve the tender texture we worked hard to create, and adding extra flour here can make the final Frgal tough.
Once your Frgal dough is rolled out, the assembly has a specific detail I don’t want you to miss. Before adding the plum filling, I instruct you to brush the *edge* of the dough with a hand-whisked egg. You’ll notice the recipe says “no need to brush the center.” This egg wash, applied only to the ½-inch border we leave empty, serves two purposes: it helps the streusel stick to the edge, and it gives the crust of the Frgal a beautiful, shiny, lightly brown, appetizing color during baking. This simple step makes the final Frgal Kolach with Plum Filling look truly professional.
For the baking step, I have you preheat the oven to 370°F. This recipe makes two large Frgals, and the instructions note you can bake both at the same time, even in a regular oven (though convection works best). A critical step here is to rotate the baking sheets in the middle of baking, approximately after the first 10 minutes. This ensures both your Frgal Kolach with Plum Filling pastries bake evenly and achieve that perfect, lightly brown color on all sides. The total baking time is usually about 15-20 minutes.
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