These long fermented sourdough kolaches made with all purpose flour are soft, pillowy, and customizable with sweet or savory fillings! Check out the discard option if you’re short on time, and see my notes for using fresh milled flour if that’s your preference!
Quick Recipe Overview: Sourdough Kolaches
⏱️ Ready In: ~8–12 hours (long ferment) or 3 hours with discard
🍽️ Serves: 12 kolaches
🔥 Calories: ~420 per kolache
🧺 Main Ingredients: Sourdough starter or discard, milk, butter, egg, flour, filling ingredients
🥗 Dietary Info: Can be long-fermented; easily adapted for fresh milled flour
❤️ Why You’ll Love It: These soft, pillowy sourdough kolaches have a lightly tangy dough and can be made with an active starter or sourdough discard, and offer flexible timing with both long-ferment and same-day options—making them perfect for breakfast, lunch, or freezer-friendly meals. Customize the filling for sweet or savory!
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
“Oh my gosh, this recipe is definitely going into our rotation of monthly meals. So delicious and even toddler friendly!” – Marissa
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Customizable fillings – Easily swap the cheeseburger filling for sweet or savory options like sausage, ham and cheese, fruit preserves and cream cheese, pizza, apple pie, endless possibilities!
- Long-fermented option – Long fermenting the dough breaks down phytic acid and gluten for improved digestibility and deeper sourdough flavor.
- Quick discard option – Use sourdough discard with added yeast for a quick, same-day kolache recipe.
- Fresh milled flour friendly – Works well with fresh milled flour for a more nutrient-dense, from-scratch bake.
If you’ve ever made homemade burger buns or rolls, making kolaches isn’t much different. You just have a couple extra steps of preparing and adding the filling, that’s it! If you’re looking for more ways to get creative with sourdough, check out my sourdough beignets or sourdough cannoli!
This post may contain affiliate links. I only recommend products I use and love. If you purchase through my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Key Ingredients
Bacon, ground beef, cream cheese, shredded cheese, onion, and pepper are for making a Bacon Cheeseburger filling – easily substitute with a variety of ingredients for the filling of your choice!
- Sourdough starter or discard – Adds flavor, structure, and flexibility; use active starter for long fermentation or discard with 1 tablespoon yeast for a same-day option.
- Milk + water – Creates a soft, enriched dough while keeping the crumb light and tender.
- Butter – Adds richness and helps create the signature pillowy kolache texture I use a ton of grass-fed butter in my sourdough baking!
- Flour – All-purpose flour works beautifully, or substitute fresh milled hard white wheat 1:1. I buy organic, unbleached flour and grain in bulk from Azure Standard.
- Salt – I use Redmond Real Salt since it’s unrefined, doesn’t contain any anti-caking agents, and is full of trace minerals.
Fresh Milled Flour for Sourdough Kolaches
TLDR – You can substitute fresh milled flour in this recipe using hard white wheat 1:1, adding flour 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough is too sticky.
- Best Wheat Variety: Hard white wheat provides enough strength for enriched doughs while still yielding soft, fluffy sourdough kolaches.
- How to Substitute: Use a 1:1 ratio.
- Adjusting Dough Texture: Fresh milled flour absorbs liquid differently. If the dough feels sticky, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft and slightly tacky, not wet.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1 – Make the Dough + Proof: Mix the dough ingredients, then knead until smooth and elastic. The dough will be a bit sticky, but workable. Cover and let rise until doubled and puffy (long ferment 4–12 hours, depending on starter strength and temperature).
Step 2 – Make the Filling: Cook and prepare your filling and let it cool completely so it’s easy to portion and doesn’t melt the dough.
Step 3 – Assemble + Second Rise + Bake: Divide dough into 12 equal pieces, roll each piece into a 5″ circle, add ⅔ cup filling, and seal. Place on a lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise until puffy, then brush with egg wash and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes.
If you need help with sourdough vocabulary, check out my Complete Guide to Sourdough Terms!
Sourdough Kolaches Baking Timeline
Quick Discard Option
Same Day
- 0:00 – Mix dough and add 1 tablespoon instant yeast along with sourdough discard.
- 1:00–2:00 – Bulk rise until doubled and puffy.
- 2:15 – Divide and shape kolaches; prepare filling, assemble.
- 2:45–3:45 – Second rise until visibly puffy.
- 4:00 – Bake 25 minutes at 350°F.
Long Ferment Option
Overnight
- Morning – Afternoon – Feed starter.
- Evening – Mix and knead dough.
- Overnight – Bulk ferment at room temperature until doubled (8–12 hours).
- Morning – Divide, shape, and fill kolaches.
- 1–3 hours – Second rise 2-4 hours until soft and puffy.
- Bake – Bake 25 minutes at 350°F.
Sourdough Kolaches FAQs
Sourdough kolaches are soft pastries made with sourdough starter or discard and filled with sweet or savory fillings. Unlike traditional bread, sourdough kolaches have a tender, pillowy texture similar to a roll or pastry. Think bacon cheeseburger stuffed inside of a soft bun.
Yes, sourdough kolaches can be made with sourdough discard by adding instant yeast to the dough when mixing. This allows the kolaches to rise properly and makes it possible to bake them the same day.
No, sourdough kolaches do not have to be long fermented. You can choose a long-ferment option using active starter for improved digestibility, or a quicker discard version with added yeast for faster results.
Sourdough kolaches are very versatile and can be filled with savory options like sausage, cheese, or ground beef, as well as sweet fillings such as fruit preserves or cream cheese. Get creative with pizza kolaches, philly cheesesteak kolaches, biscuits and gravy kolaches, etc.
Yes, sourdough kolaches can be made with fresh milled flour. Hard white wheat works best, and you may need to add extra flour one tablespoon at a time if the dough feels sticky.
Store baked sourdough kolaches in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for longer storage.
Expert Tips
- Dough texture matters: Kolache dough should be soft and slightly tacky but never wet—add flour 1 tablespoon at a time if needed.
- Cool the filling completely before assembly: Warm filling can melt the dough and cause leaks during shaping and baking.
- Seal well for stuffed kolaches: Pinch seams tightly and place seam-side down on the baking sheet to prevent opening.
- Don’t rush the second rise: Well-proofed kolaches bake taller, softer, and more evenly.
- Egg wash lightly: A thin layer gives shine and color without weighing the dough down.
- Freeze for later: Bake fully, cool completely, then freeze for quick breakfasts or lunches.
Storage
- Refrigerator: Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days; reheat gently for best texture.
- Freezer: Freeze fully cooled kolaches in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or reheat directly from frozen.
If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐ 5-star ⭐ rating below! If you have questions or suggestions – drop a comment!
Sourdough Kolaches
Ingredients
Method
- Make the Dough: In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine ingredients, mix and knead 5–10 minutes until smooth and elastic (it should feel soft and slightly tacky, not wet or unworkable).
- Bulk Ferment: Cover and let the dough rise at room temperature until puffy and doubled, about 4–12 hours depending on your kitchen temperature and starter strength.
- Prep Your Filling: After the bulk ferment, prepare your desired filling and let it cool completely so it doesn’t melt the dough. For bacon cheeseburger filling, bacon, onion, and ground beef must be cooked prior to mixing the filling ingredients.
- Divide the Dough: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball and cover with a towel.
- Shape the Kolaches: Roll each piece of dough into a 5″ circle. Add filling to the center, then bring the edges up and pinch tightly to seal.
- Second Rise: Place shaped kolaches on a parchment-lined baking sheet seam-side down, cover, and let rise until puffy, about 2–4 hours.
- Egg Wash: Whisk egg wash, then lightly brush the tops for shine and golden color.
- Bake: Bake for 25 minutes at 350°F.
- Cool + Serve: Let the kolaches cool 10–15 minutes before serving so the filling sets. Enjoy warm or cool completely before storing or freezing.
Nutrition
Notes
- Sourdough discard option: If using sourdough discard, add 1 tablespoon instant yeast to the ingredients when mixing dough and shorten the bulk rise to about 1–2 hours, or until doubled and puffy.
- Fresh milled flour option: Substitute all-purpose flour with fresh milled hard white wheat 1:1. Fresh milled flour absorbs liquid differently, so add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough feels sticky.
- Dough texture: The dough should be soft and slightly tacky, not wet or stiff.
- Filling tip: Always let fillings cool completely before assembling to prevent leaks and tearing.
- Freezer-friendly: Baked kolaches freeze well and reheat easily for quick breakfasts or lunches.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!About the Author
Welcome to Hopewell Heights, I’m Steph – seasoned sourdough baker, homesteader, homemaker, homeschooling mom of 5, and creator behind this Heritage American food blog. I hope you enjoy my family’s favorite, from-scratch recipes!
I love making these for breakfast with sausage, egg, and cheese filling – but there are so many possibilities, bakon cheeseburger and pizza are two more faves!
Oh my gosh, this recipe is definitely going into our rotation of monthly meals. So delicious and even toddler friendly! I went the long fermentation route, and followed everything else exactly as stated, and they were delicious. I was pretty sure my starter was active and ready when I made the dough, but after 12 hours of rising, it didn’t quite double, but because of time, I went ahead and made them anyway, and they were still soft and yummy (I did the two hour rise after assembling like instructed, too). I made mini ones for my two and one year old, and they were so easy and perfect for them to hold and eat. Thank you for another delicious recipe!