Pull Apart Smoked Sausage Kolaches 

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If you know the power of a good kolache, you know they have that magic that makes them disappear fast! These Pull Apart Smoked Sausage Kolaches are a cozy, crowd-friendly recipe that will make hosting friends and family for breakfast so much easier.

The best part is, you don’t have to check on multiple batches of kolaches – just one. A soft, slightly sweet kolache dough is wrapped around pieces of smoked kielbasa sausage and nestled together in a casserole dish instead of spread out on a sheet pan.

As they bake, the dough rises and puffs into warm, golden kolaches that you can easily pull apart piece by piece. They’re ideal for weekend hosting, brunch spreads, or game days when you want something warm and comforting. 

Why You’ll Like These Smoked Sausage Kolaches

• They have a pillowy soft dough. A good kolache always starts with the dough – they’re soft, tender, and not dry and chewy. And these check all the right boxes!
• Super warm and cozy breakfast. There’s nothing like a warm, buttery kolache to comfort the soul. The blend of the buttery, soft kolache dough with the smoked sausage is like a warm hug. 
• Easy to serve and transport! The pull-apart style of these kolaches makes them easy to transport from the kitchen to the table for serving. And it also makes for a fun experience for guests to grab.

How to Make Pull-Apart Smoked Sausage Kolaches, Step By Step

Step 1. Make the yeast dough.

Kolache dough is an enriched yeast dough, which means it has ingredients like eggs, butter, milk and/or sugar added to the dough. This gives the rolls a pillowy, soft texture. There is a three-step process to making this dough that involves activating yeast, forming the dough, and kneading the dough. 

Start by activating the yeast. To do this, add warm milk, instant yeast, and sugar to a bowl and whisk to combine. The yeast will start to bubble as it activates. Make sure the milk is between 105-115ºF. If it’s too cold, the yeast will not activate. If it’s too hot, the heat will kill the yeast.

Next, form the dough. Add the flour, salt, and butter to the yeast mixture and mix until a dough is forms. Using an electric stand mixer with the dough hook attachment is the easiest way to do this. If you do not have a stand mixer, you can bring the dough together with your hands. It will just take more time and muscle.

Lastly, knead the dough for about 5 minutes before you let it rise for an hour to double in size.

Step 2. Punch dough, separate into 12 pieces, and roll out.

Once the dough is done rising, punch the dough to release any excess gas that has built up in the bread dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and separate the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll the dough pieces into balls and roll them out into flat dough rounds that are about 3-4 inches wide.

Step 3. Wrap dough around sausage and line in a casserole dish.

If you are using a large sausage link, slice the link in half lengthwise and then cut into 12 even pieces. If you are using small sausage links, you can add one to each kolache roll.

Wrap the dough around each kolache link and place in a greased baking dish to rise one more time.

Step 4. Final quick rise, milk wash, and bake.

After the kolaches are assembled in the casserole dish, they will need to rise for an additional 30 minutes. 

While they are rising, preheat your oven to 350ºF. Brush the kolaches with milk and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Step 5. Top with butter wash and flaky salt, and serve.

While the kolaches are hot, brush them with butter and sprinkle with flaky salt. Let them cool to set for about 10-15 minutes and serve warm.

Tips for Making Kolaches

• Don’t over-knead the dough. It will result in a tougher, chewier bread. There are a couple of ways to test whether your dough is ready to rise. See our tips below on how to know when to stop kneading the dough. 
• Add a milk and butter wash to give the kolaches a browned glazed finish. Brushing the kolaches with milk before baking will give them a browned, slightly glossy finish. You can go the extra mile and brush with butter to make them super buttery and add an even glossier finish.
• Use fully cooked, smoked sausage. When shopping at the store, look for Slovacek, Keilbasa, or Eckrich varieties.
• Want to take these to the next level? Top with shredded cheese and jalapeno slices. We are keeping this recipe super simple, but if you want to add some more flavor, sprinkle with some cheese and jalapeno slices before baking. The cheese and jalapeno are great pairings with sausage kolaches.

How to know when to stop kneading the kolache dough

Kolache dough has a lot of moisture in it to make it light and soft. The dough should require about five minutes of kneading. But to be sure, you can use one of these methods to test your dough as you are kneading. If it passes one of these tests, you can stop kneading and let it rise.

• Poke test: Poke the dough. If it bounces back, you’re done kneading.
• Window pane test: Pull off a small piece of dough and stretch it until it is very thin. Hold it up to the light. If you can see light through the dough before it tears, you are done kneading. 

How to serve pull-apart kolaches

You can choose to serve straight from the casserole dish, or you can carefully remove the pull-apart bread from the dish and serve it straight off a platter or cutting board. 

Or if you’d like to pull apart and serve single rolls individually, you can do that as well. 

How to store leftover kolaches

Make sure the kolaches are completely cooled before storing. Store in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag at room temperature for 2-3 days for optimal freshness.

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