Kolache have been discussed before and if you want the right fillings these are the

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

People who supply some of he less common fillings
http://www.solofoods.com/crj.html
A funny little flash movie
They have a pretty good recipe section on the site.
http://www.solofoods.com/crecipe.html

I was on a search for their poppyseed filling the past few days and I found IT!
Went to Central Market by Old Town and stopped at the customer service desk and she calls that part of the stores staff and they go no we don't have the Poppy Seed Paste just the Almond Paste. I thank the girl and said that I would go look anyway. So off I go and I find the section in the store pretty quickly-just about 6 turns and I was there. Well one of the dept workers is standing right there so I ask her if they had the Poppy Seed Paste/filling and she says no we don't carry that but the almond is right over there, behind her shoulder and maybe 5 ft down the isle. So as I walk over towards the section I see SOLO POPPY SEED FILLING on about 12 cans along with about 6 other fruit fillings. So I picked up the can and said Miss you don't have this? AS she turned she kinda look dumbfounded that I was holding up my QUEST!

So I loaded up my basket with many cans of the Poppy Seed and a mixture of the other fillings I go back to the customer counter and told her that they did indeed have the product and showed her one of the cans then proceeded to a very fast check out line and exited a happy camper!

[SaundraU]

Weber or Racine in Chicago's Southside have the WORLD's best! Both have a website:

http://racinebakery.com/
http://www.webersbakery.com/

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

I would put the bakers in WEST, Texas (yes the town is called WEST just north of Waco) up against any other kolache bakers in the US. (See the US recipies for the bread tend to lean to the sweeter side than the ones back in the old country).

[darktiger]

I use to think that the kolache's in West were one of the best, until I found Kolache Factory in Clearlake/Nasa. Now those are good kolache's....

[SaundraU]

Originally Posted by DEMDeepEllumMusic

I would put the bakers in WEST, Texas (yes the town is called WEST just north of Waco) up against any other kolache bakers in the US. (See the US recipies for the bread tend to lean to the sweeter side than the ones back in the old country).

Which is why I love the ones I listed, old home country recipes are used.

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

Well I have had Kolaches in Prague and I prefer the version that we make here in Texas.

My grandmother ran a small bakery out of her kitchen when I was a kid and people would travel up to 40 miles one way to buy her kolaches so I kinda know what I think are really good ones. The town that she lived in spoke basically 2 languages until the late 1960's and that was Czech and English with Czech more common of the two.

Now WEST depends on which of the 4 bakeries that you go too, there is one downtown that has been around for 50+ years now that is still good but I tend to gravitate to the Kolache stop right on the Interstate.

I've also eaten many a pastry out of Ennis and a few other towns here in North Texas along with my share from around Austin also.

Have not had the Houston variaty so don't know how good they are.

If you have never had a good poppyseed kolache fresh out of the oven then you have never tasted what is one hell of a good pastry!