From the Prairie Pastry Festival to you
Ready for a treat? Brian and Jason Jacobs share their family’s award-winning recipes
Photos: Ellen Schafer
Prairie Pastry Festival top prize was an Apple-filled Bohemian Boukta made by Brian Jacobs from his maternal great grandmother’s recipe. The top ones in this photo are partially baked, awaiting finishing at the festival.
Sweet dough for Boukta or buns
4 1/2 tsp. dry yeast
7.2 oz. warm water
12 oz. evaporated milk
9.6 oz. hot water
6 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. salt
3 eggs
5 tbsp. melted lard
8-9 cups flour
Soak dry yeast in warm water and add to evaporated milk.
Mix in hot water, sugar, and salt. Add eggs, lard, and half of the flour and beat to mix.
Add the rest of the flour—it should be a soft dough—then cover and let rise until double in size. Punch down and let rise for 15 minutes more.
For Boukta: Roll dough to 1/4” thick and cut into 2” squares.
Hand stretch and place 1-1/2 tbsp. of filling in center. Lift corners together and keeping one finger under the flaps pinch the four corners together (forming a four cornered pouch. Then lightly pinch the four seams together.
Let rise 30-45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees on middle rack until bottoms are light brown, about 15-20 min. Brush finished Boukta with butter and sprinkle with sugar.
For Kolaches: Make a dough ball slightly larger than a golf ball, then stretch it into a disk with an indentation in the middle. Let rise 30 minutes. Stretch again, keeping the indentation in the middle.
Fill center with 2 tbsp. of filling and let rise another 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees on middle rack until bottoms are light brown, about 15-20 min.
Photos: Ellen Schafer
Runner-up prize at the Prairie Pastry Festival was Kolaches by brother Jason Jacob. The dough for Boukta and Kolaches come from the same recipe, but have different fruit fillings like apple or pineapple and are shaped differently.
Poppy seed Boukta filling
1 pound poppy seeds soaked overnight (or bring them to boil in a microwave and let sit one hour)
1/4 cup butter
3 cups milk
2 cups raisins
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsps. concentrated orange juice or 1 tbsp. grated orange rind
Grind soaked poppy seed.
Add all the rest of the ingredients and simmer slowly until thick.
Orange marmalade-pineapple filling
2 cups orange marmalade
1 14-oz. can crushed pineapple, squeezed and drained of excess liquid
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
For Kolaches, combine marmalade and pineapple and fill pastries with that. Mix spices and sprinkle over Kolaches before baking.
For Boukta, combine all ingredients together before filling.
This article originally appeared in the Dec. 26, 2014, issue of the Norwegian American Weekly. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.
