Blueberry Kolache with Pecan Crumble...

Perfect little sweet dough that is a combination of a danish and a sweet roll, filled with blueberries, topped with a pecan crumble and baked until puffed and golden...

It is blueberry season in Florida, all the u-picks are open and blueberries are everywhere. My kids love blueberries and though they love eating them when they are firm and tart, once they start to sweeten or get soft, it’s time to bake with them instead.

I decided to make a sweet dough and fill it with cooked blueberries like one does a Kolache, which is kind of a baked donut or sweet roll. The indentation made in the risen dough holds the fruit as the dough bakes, and they come out looking like perfect little danishes... of course I played with the recipes and came up with my own hybrid. The dough is just sweet enough, the fruit filling plentiful, and the pecan crumble adds a perfect toasty crunch.

Ingredients for the dough:

1 cup of milk (ideally whole milk)

3 cups of AP flour

1/4 cup of white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons instant or fast acting yeast

1 large egg plus one more for an egg wash

Ingredients for the blueberry filling:

2 cups of blueberries

1/2 cup of sugar (more if berries are tart)

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 tablespoons of water mixed with 1 tablespoon of corn starch

Ingredients for pecan crumble:

2 tablespoons butter, melted

3 tablespoons of white or brown sugar

A pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/3 cup of ground pecans (ground finely in a food processor)

1/3 cup AP Flour

Instructions for the dough:

1. In a small saucepan heat the milk, gently, to about 100 degrees and set aside

2. In the bowl of a mixer with the dough hook attachment mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.

3. With the mixer on low add the milk to the flour mixture and mix together for a few seconds and then add the large egg.

4. With the mixer on low mix until the ingredients come together and then turn the mixer up and mix until the dough comes together. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue mixing, on a 4 on a KitchenAid mixer. 5. After about 5 minutes stop the mixer. Take a medium bowl that has been lightly oiled and place the dough in there, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 45 minutes to an hour until doubled in size. 6. While the dough rises make the blueberry filling and pecan crumble.

Instructions for Blueberry Filling:

1. In a medium saucepan place the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice. 2. Bring to a simmer on medium and stir constantly as the berries burst and become juicy.

3. Once the berries have mostly burst add the water and cornstarch mix to the blueberries and stir. 4. Bring back to a simmer stirring until thickened and set aside.

Instructions for Pecan Crumble:

1. In a small bowl mix together all crumble ingredients using a fork until well mixed and small clumps form. Set aside.

To assemble the Kolache 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. On a lightly floured surface dump the dough out and divide the dough into 12 even pieces.

3. Roll each piece of dough into a small ball and place on a parchment lined sheet pan. 4. Let the balls of dough sit until slightly puffy 25-30 minutes. 5. Once the dough has rested use a tablespoon or another small object to make a deep indentation in the middle of each ball of dough. Press down firmly so that the dough has a deep indentation in it. Working one by one make the indentation and fill with a tablespoon or so of blueberry filling.

6. Continue making indentations in the dough and filling each ball of dough with blueberries. 7. When all the balls of dough are filled, make an egg wash with one egg and a teaspoon of water and brush the edges of dough.

8. Take the pecan crumble and sprinkle liberally over the blueberries and edges of dough. 9. Place the sheet pan into the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Let cool completely before eating. That filling will be very hot.

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