Overnight Sourdough Klobasneks (Texas Kolaches)

If you have spent any real time in Texas, you know what a kolache is. You might call them klobasneks, we are not precious about the pronunciation, but what matters is that sausage tucked inside a soft, enriched dough. It's breakfast. It's a gas station snack. It's what you grab when you're running late and need something that tastes like actual food.

Here is the thing though: most of the kolaches you grab on the fly are forgettable. Mass produced. A little too dense, a little too sweet, not enough actual sausage. Which is exactly why I started making them at home, and why I perfected this recipe that lets you prep them the night before and bake them straight from the fridge with zero extra rising.

This is the kolache recipe for people who actually want to eat a good kolache, not just the idea of one.

Where kolaches come from (and why Texas gets them right)

Czech immigrants brought kolaches to Texas in the 1800s, mostly settling in Central Texas. If you have ever been to a Czech village bakery in rural Texas, you have seen them stacked in the window: fruit-filled pastries for the sweet version, savory sausage-filled ones for breakfast.

Over time, the Czech kolache evolved into the Texas kolache, and somewhere along the way we made it our own. We stuffed them with cheddar sausage instead of just pork. Some call the sausage version a "klobasnek" to distinguish it from the fruit-filled kolache, though honestly, half of us just call them all kolaches and move on.

The point is this is a Texas thing. A good Texas thing. And if you are going to make them at home, you might as well make them right.

Why this method works (especially if you are busy)

The secret to this recipe is not complicated. It is just smart timing.

You use a risen starter fed last night at a 1:10:10 ratio so it is bubbling and ready in the morning. That active, happy starter means you mix by hand, do a few stretch and folds over two hours, let it rise for 6 to 8 hours, shape it, let it proof for 2 to 3 hours, and then you pop them into the fridge overnight. That is the part I love.

The next morning, you pull them straight from the fridge and bake. No extra rising. No waiting around. Just egg wash and into the oven while your coffee brews.

It sounds like cheating. It is not. It is actually better this way. The cold-proofed dough has better structure, better rise in the oven, and that overnight in the fridge lets the sourdough tang develop even more. You are getting a more flavorful kolache without any extra work.

Ingredients and equipment

Here is everything you need so you can shop your pantry before you start. I have listed both cups and grams for anyone who likes to weigh.

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Dough ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (120g) active sourdough starter (fed at 1:10:10 the night before, so it is ready to use first thing in the morning)
• 2 1/2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (165ml) whole milk
• 2 tbsp (42g) honey
• 3 tbsp (43g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1/2 tsp (3g) salt
• 1 large egg (50g)

For filling and baking:

• 8 links cheddar smoked sausage (or sausage of choice)
• 1 egg, for wash
• Butter, for topping after bake

Equipment:

• Mixing bowl
• Bench scraper
• Parchment paper
• Two baking sheets
• Danish whisk
• Plastic wrap

On the sausage

Use something with actual flavor. I used a cheddar smoked sausage for mine, the kind that is thicker than a hot dog, which means you get a substantial bite of sausage in every kolache instead of a sad little wisp of meat.

Cheddar smoked sausage is the move, but any quality smoked sausage you like works. Another favorite around here is cheddar, jalapeno smoked-sausage. This is where you make it your own.

On the dough

This is an enriched sourdough, which means butter and egg, which means the dough is going to feel soft and a little sticky when you first mix it. This is not a problem. This is actually correct.

The dough is super sticky when you first come together. Do not panic. Do not add extra flour. The stretch and fold process over the next two hours will develop the gluten and make the dough easier to handle. You will see the transformation happen right in front of you.

Trust the process. The dough knows what it is doing.

Making the Kolaches

Step 1: Melt your butter

Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. You want it warm but not hot.

Step 2: Mix everything together

In a mixing bowl, combine your active starter, milk, honey, salt, melted butter, and egg. Stir them together well. Add your flour and mix with a spoon or Danish whisk until all the flour is incorporated and you have a shaggy, sticky dough. This is completely normal.

Step 3: Wait

Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Cover with a damp dish towel. This is your version of an autolyse, which means the flour is just sitting there getting hydrated and the ingredients are getting to know each other.

Step 4: Stretch and folds

This is where the magic happens. You are going to do four sets of stretch and folds, spaced exactly 30 minutes apart.

For each set: wet your hand, grab one side of the dough, pull it up and fold it over itself toward the center. Rotate the bowl and repeat from all four sides. It takes maybe 30 seconds. Each time you do this, you are building strength and structure into the dough. The dough will transform from soupy and sticky to cohesive and smooth.

After the fourth and final stretch and fold, do not do another one. Let it be.

Step 5: Bulk fermentation

After your last stretch and fold, cover the bowl (may need to re-dampen your dish towel) and let the dough rise at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours. You are looking for a noticeably puffy, alive-looking dough. It does not have to double, but it should have increased by a good amount. For me with a 70-72 degrees kitchen this is typically 6 hours, but this will depend on your kitchen’s environment.

Step 6: Shape into balls

Once the bulk ferment is done, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece gently into a ball. Cover loosely with a dish towel and let them rest for 15 minutes. This rest makes the dough easier to roll and shape.

Step 7: Roll and fill

After the 15-minute rest, take one ball of dough and gently flatten it into a rectangle about 4 inches by 3 inches with your fingers. Place your sausage link along one long side. Roll it up tightly, starting from the sausage side, and pinch the seam closed firmly. Pinch and enclose the ends completely so the sausage is fully enclosed and cannot leak out during baking. The filling is the whole point, so make sure it is sealed.

Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

Step 8: Final proof

Place the filled kolaches back on parchment-lined baking sheets with about 2 inches between each one. Cover them loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let them proof at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours until they are visibly puffy and jiggly. If you poke one gently, it should spring back slowly.

Step 9: Chill overnight

Once they have had their room-temperature proof, cover the baking sheets tightly with plastic wrap and slide them into the fridge. Let them sit overnight. Or for 8 to 12 hours. Or even up to 24 hours if you need them to stay. The cold arrests the fermentation and holds them in that perfect proofed state. This is the game-changer. This is why you can bake fresh kolaches in the morning with zero early rising.

Step 10: Bake from cold

The next morning, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Here is the important part: place an empty baking sheet on the rack below where your kolaches will bake. This prevents the bottoms from burning and gives you a more evenly baked kolache.

Pull the kolaches straight from the fridge. Do not let them come to room temperature. Beat an egg yolk with a tablespoon of water and brush it generously over each one. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes until they are deep golden brown. The egg wash gives you that glossy, professional-looking exterior.

Step 11: Butter the tops

When the kolaches come out of the oven, they will be hot. Take a stick of butter and rub it over the tops while they are still warm. The butter melts right into the dough, making them even more rich and tender.

Let them cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before serving.

A few more things

On the wet dough: This is super sticky when it first comes together. This is normal and correct. By the time you finish your stretch and folds, you will barely recognize it. The transformation is real.

On the overnight cold proof: This is not optional. This is the whole reason this recipe works. The cold makes everything easier. Shaping is less sticky, the dough has better structure, the fermentation develops more flavor, and you get that fresh-baked kolache in the morning without the 5 AM bake time.

On storage: These are best eaten warm or at room temperature the day they are baked, but they will keep in a covered container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the shaped, proofed kolaches for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding about 3 to 4 minutes to the bake time.

Why this matters

There is something about making a Texas staple at home that tastes better than the version you buy. Maybe it is because you know exactly what is in it. Maybe it is because the sausage is actually good. Maybe it is because you made it with your hands at your own kitchen counter.

Or maybe it is just because a warm, buttery, sourdough kolache with proper sausage tucked inside, pulled from your own oven, is genuinely one of the best breakfasts there is.

Make these. Proof them overnight. Wake up to the smell of them baking. That is the whole recipe right there.

Made this recipe? I'd love to know how they turned out. Drop a review below and tell me about your sausage choice. I want to know if you're a purist cheddar person or if you went rogue.