Eggless Fruit Kolaches

Kolaches are one of my favorite pastries to bake on the weekend. They are soft, sweet yeast buns filled with fruit and topped with a buttery crumble.

Traditional recipes almost always call for eggs in the dough, but this version is completely eggless. If you have an egg allergy or simply do not eat eggs, you can still enjoy fresh bakery style pastries at home.

A little bit of sour cream takes the place of the eggs here. It keeps the dough rich, tender, and soft for days.

I love using sweet apricot jam in the center, but any thick fruit preserve works nicely.

These eggless fruit kolaches smell amazing while they bake, and they make breakfast feel extra special.

Why You’ll Love It

Pillowy Soft Texture – Sour cream keeps this yeast dough amazingly tender, moist, and fluffy without using a single egg.

Bakery Quality at Home – You get authentic Czech-style sweet buns fresh from your oven that taste far better than store-bought pastries.

Buttery Streusel Crunch – A sweet and crumbly topping adds the perfect texture contrast to every bite of the soft bun.

Bright Apricot Flavor – Warm fruit preserves provide a wonderfully tart and sweet center that balances the rich, buttery pastry.

Ingredient List

For the Dough

• 1 cup Whole Milk, Warmed To 110°F
• 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast
• 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter, Melted & Cooled
• 1/4 cup Sour Cream
• 1 tsp Salt
• 3 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour

For the Streusel

• 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 tbsp Cold Unsalted Butter

For the Filling & Topping

• 3/4 cup Apricot Preserves
• 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter, Melted

Directions

Step 1

In a large bowl, stir together the warm milk, sugar and yeast. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until foamy.

Step 2

Whisk in the melted butter, sour cream and salt. Add the flour 1 cup at a time, stirring until a soft dough forms.

The sour cream replaces the egg yolks found in classic kolache dough and keeps these buns rich, soft and slightly sweet.

Step 3

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 6-8 minutes, until smooth and slightly tacky. Place it in a greased bowl, cover and let it rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, until doubled.

Step 4

While the dough rises, mix the flour and sugar for the streusel in a small bowl. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until crumbly, then chill until needed.

Step 5

Punch down the dough, divide it into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a smooth ball. Place them 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet, flatten slightly, cover and let rise for 30-40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F while they rise.

Step 6

Press a deep well into the center of each bun with two fingers or the bottom of a small glass, leaving a 1/2-inch rim. Brush the rims with some of the melted butter, spoon 1 tablespoon of preserves into each well and sprinkle the streusel over the top.

Step 7

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown. Brush the edges with the remaining melted butter right out of the oven and let the kolaches cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Tips

Press the Wells Deeper Than You Think

When you make the indentation in the center of each bun, press down until you can almost feel the baking sheet underneath. I’ve found that if the well is too shallow, the dough puffs up in the oven and pushes the preserves right off the sides.

My favorite trick here is to dip the bottom of a small drinking glass into flour before pressing. This keeps the glass from sticking to the soft dough and gives you a wide, even pocket for the fruit.

Bring the Sour Cream to Room Temperature

In this eggless recipe, sour cream provides the richness and tender texture that egg yolks usually create. You’ll get the best results if you set the sour cream on the counter for about thirty minutes before you start baking.

If the sour cream is ice-cold straight from the fridge, it will cool down your warm milk mixture too quickly. That slows down the yeast and makes your dough take much longer to rise.

Keep the Dough Slightly Tacky

It can be tempting to keep adding extra flour while you knead, but try to hold back. From my experience, eggless yeast dough needs to stay soft and slightly tacky so the baked buns turn out light and pillowy.

If you add too much flour to make the dough completely dry, your kolaches will bake up dense and heavy instead of soft and tender.

Try These Next

• Eggless Brioche Bread
• Eggless Chocolate Babka
• Eggless Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake
• Eggless Glazed Apple Fritters
• Eggless Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

Questions You Might Have

Can I use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast?

Yes, you can swap the active dry yeast for an equal amount of instant yeast in this recipe. Since instant yeast does not need to dissolve in liquid first, you can mix all the dry ingredients together and add the warm milk, melted butter, and sour cream right away.

Keep in mind that instant yeast works a little faster, so your dough might finish its first rise in about 45 minutes instead of a full hour. Just watch the dough rather than the clock and move to the next step once it has doubled in size.