Sausage Kolache is a yummy breakfast item that you find in the donut shops all over Texas. It is basically a yeast bread pastry wrapped around a cheesy sausage (or Jalapeño sausage for spice lovers out there).
I’ve been obsessed with these yummy breakfast pastries since I moved to Texas, and after much experimenting, I have put together the EASIEST and yummiest homemade kolache recipe – requiring only 5 ingredients! Do make sure to plan ahead to give the dough time to defrost and rise.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Rhodes Bake-N-Serv. All opinions and texts are mine.
Looking for classic well loved Texas foods? Don’t forget to also check out my authentic Texas Chili, Easy Queso, and Breakfast Tacos!
The Easiest Sausage Kolache Recipe!
Sausage Kolache is actually originally a Czech Republic pastry brought by Czech immigrants to Texas. Today, you can find sausage kolache in donut shops all over Texas, and they are commonly enjoyed as breakfast or snack item.
Fun fact: what is widely known as Sausage Kolache today was once upon a time more accurately known as Klobasnek. “Kolache” is the name given to a similar pastry but with fruit filling. Over time, these sausage Klobasnek became conveniently known as “Sausage Kolache”.
The sausage kolache recipe I am sharing today is the common sausage roll with yeast dough that you can find at pretty much any donut shop in Texas. Ask anybody living in Texas and they will know exactly what this is.
You can make sausage kolaches from scratch with a dough recipe, but when I want “from-scratch” quality without all the hard work, Rhodes make this possible. AND even more delicious than when I made it from scratch!
Rhodes Yeast Dinner Rolls are seriously perfect for this. These rolls come frozen in dough form. Let them defrost/rise and use them as the the pastry for these sausage kolaches.
They are called dinner rolls, but they are seriously so versatile and they are made for Texas Sausage Kolache! The Rhodes way is the only way we do sausage kolache in our household these days.
This particular easy kolache recipe is awesome because:
- So convenient – no kneading required!
- 5 ingredients only – because we are using pre-kneaded dough, we are looking at 5 simple ingredients!
- The fluffiest, freshest, best tasting dough EVER! It taste like homemade dough without all the efforts of homemade. WIN-WIN-WIN!
- As good as store-bought kolaches. Yes you heard it. Just like the ones sold in donut shops. Now you can make it at home and eat it in your pajamas!
Ingredients
You’ll only need 5 ingredients to make this kolache recipe:
- Rhodes yeast dinner rolls: This is the key to the easiest kolache recipe…no knead for a dough recipe! These Rhodes rolls are soft, slightly sweet, and reminiscent of the real deal.
- Smoked sausage: These are typically pre-cooked, smoked pork or beef sausage links. Common brands are Eckrich, Kiolbassa, and Johnsonville. If you can find the ones with cheese inside, that’s even better! It’s my favorite and it’s what I used in the photos. These are different from hot dogs or breakfast sausages, although those can be used as well. If sausage is raw, cook them fully first before wrapping it in dough.
- Cooking spray/oil: Used to grease the dough to prevent sticking.
- Egg: Used with the milk to make an egg wash, creating a nice sheen on the kolache once baked.
- 2% milk: You can also use whole milk or low/non-fat milk.
How to make Kolache
This is probably the easiest from-scratch sausage kolache you will find on the internet.
It’s very simple because we are using frozen dough that is already portion out, but you will need to plan ahead for the dough to rise.
Place frozen dough in room temperature and let it rise for 3.5 – 4 hours.
If your room is colder (especially during winter months), it might take a bit longer. The temperature of your room really makes a difference to the rise time.
Once it rises, use a rolling pin and roll dough into oval/rectangular shape, with its length about the same as the length of the sausage.
Then wrap the dough around the sausage and seal. Apply pressure well to seal tightly.
Place dough + sausage seam side down on a baking sheet line with parchment paper or baking mat.
And then let it rise a little longer.
Patience, my friends. Patience. 😉
Brush with egg wash then bake Sausage Kolache at 375ºF for 15-17 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
Dough should rise and become this soft, fluffy bread with a golden brown crust.
And that’s it! You just made yourself a homemade sausage kolache!
Cheesy savory sausage and that soft pillow-y bread with a hint of sweetness all in one delicious bite. Yum!
I highly recommend pairing these sausage kolaches with some iced or hot coffee. I’m feeling the iced coffee thing lately because it’s about 100ºF outside as we speak…
Storage and Reheating
What’s even better about these homemade sausage kolaches? They keep super well and make great leftovers!
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days and pop them into the microwave for 20-30 seconds to heat them up.
Not only are sausage kolaches great grab-and-go breakfast for busy mornings, they make great snacks for kids’ lunch boxes as well.
Tips and Tricks
- Pat dry sausage: make sure to remove excess moisture before wrapping it with dough.
- Use cooked sausage: I would actually recommend using cooked sausages to make sausage kolache. If using raw sausage, cook them first before wrapping them in dough.
- Let the dough rise well: it takes time for the dough to rise but be patient and do not short cut the process. Rising the dough well will ensure a nice fluffy soft bread texture. If the room is cold, give the dough more time to fully rise.
- Remember to cover the dough: Whenever rising dough, cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap to prevent dough from drying out.
- Brush oil to prevent sticking: If the dough is sticking or hard to come off when you are pulling them apart to roll, brush the rolling pin, surface, and your hands with oil.
- Silicone baking mats and parchment paper are your friends: Line your baking sheet with either of these for easy removal and minimal cleanup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pre-cooked, smoked pork or beef sausage links are common sausages to use. Brands like Eckrich, Kiolbassa, and Johnsonville are widely used.
The sausage links can be very moist. I would recommend patting it dry with paper towels so that your bread does not get soggy on the inside.
Use parchment paper or silicone baking mat to line your pan. Also brush or spray oil onto the kolaches and make sure to space them out so they don’t stick together as they bake.
Us too! We have been using Rhodes for years. Check out these Cheesy Garlic Rolls using the same Rhodes dough, and enjoy!
I’m glad you asked! There’s no better kolache than the kolache you make to your heart’s desires. 🙂 Some variations to try: jalapeño kolaches (place 3-4 fresh sliced jalapeño on top of the egg wash before baking), cheese kolache (roll cheese along with the sausage links when you are rolling out the dough), and sweet kolaches (add fruit filing/jelly instead of sausage).
ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Tell us what you think by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍
Other Breakfast Ideas
Other easy breakfast recipes that can be made ahead!
- Breakfast Tacos
- English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches
- Easy Frittata
- Pumpkin Banana Muffin
- No-Knead Cranberry Bread
- Apple Cinnamon Bread
- Banana and Date Muffins
EASY Texas Sausage Kolache
Ingredients
- 12 Rhodes yeast dinner rolls frozen dough
- cooking spray
- 12 smoked cheese sausage fully cooked
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp 2% milk
Instructions
- Place 12 frozen dough 2-3 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or baking mat. Spray the top of frozen dough with cooking oil and cover with saran wrap. Let it rise for 3.5-4 hours.
- Pre-heat oven to 375ºF.
- Pat dry sausage links. Using a rolling pin, roll one risen dough into a flat rectangular/oval shape. Place one sausage link on one side of the dough.
- Wrap sausage link with dough. Apply pressure to press and seal dough. Place sausage + dough seam side down on a baking sheet line with parchment paper or baking mat.
- Repeat Step 3-4 for the rest of the sausage links and dough balls. Make sure to keep them ~2 inchs apart from each other when placing them on baking sheet – you will probably need two baking sheets.
- Cover rolled sausage+dough. Let them sit and rise for 1 hour.
- Combine egg and milk. Beat to mix well. Brush egg wash onto the top of each kolache pastry.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes (middle rack) or until top is golden brown. Check at 15 minute mark to see if it is done.
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Dough may take longer to rise if room is colder, so adjust accordingly.
- Make sure to always place dough on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or baking mat.
- Cover dough during the 4 hour and 1 hour rise to avoid drying out dough.
Okay… these look absolutely AMAZING!! And I love how they make good leftovers, too!
Yes definitely!! 🙂 Thanks Heidi!!
Hi
Can these be frozen?
I have not tried it but I think that should be fine! When ready to consume them, leave in refrigerator overnight to defrost completely before heating leftovers!
Hi, these look delicious! What kind of sausage is this? I wasn’t sure if this was breakfast sausage size or longer
I usually use Eckrich Cheddar Smoked Sausage Links, which is about the size of hot dogs. Hope that helps!
Do you have to pre-cook the sausage?
The sausage should be pre-cooked, so no you won’t have to cook it, you are just heating it up!
Can you freeze the sausage kolaches after they are cooked? I want to take them to a family reunion to heat and eat.
I have not tried freezing them, I think it is doable but it would dry out and the texture would be different. To store, I refrigerate them for a couple of days and reheat when ready to eat.
We made these kolaches for lunch and our granddaughter absolutely devoured them!
LOVE that! They are always a hit here as well! 🙂
My family is obsessed with these, a store just opened in Colorado — my German side of my extended family loves the fruit filled kolaches! But I adore how you made these sausage ones so simple by using Rhodes rolls, they are so great aren’t they! Thanks for saving me money with this recipe!
Yes!! I makes it SO much easier and just as yummy! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Such a fun recipe! I think they will be great for tailgating!!
Thank you! It’s so easy and yummy too!
I have to comment as I found your recipe looking for the best way to recreate the beloved donut store sausage kolache. And to answer all of those who previously asked about freezing them…YES! We started buying dozens at a time from a local donut shop and freezing them as they’re the perfect quick and tasty breakfast when we are at the deer lease. But that sure gets expensive! I will package two at a time and vacuum seal them. I stop my machine when the air is sufficiently sucked out but not to the point of completely crushing the kolache dough. When we want some for breakfast, I pull a package from the freezer and nuke it for 30 seconds, flip it over and go another 30 seconds. I’ll then cut a slit in the bag and nuke for 30 more seconds. And that is usually perfect! I can’t wait to try using these yeast rolls to see how they compare because canned biscuits or other doughs just don’t have the same taste. Thanks for this recipe!
I’m so glad you found it! I would love to hear your thoughts when you give it a try! 🙂
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for sharing these TEXAS recipes!! We moved from Texas to Virginia and we have been missing eating kolaches. I have made these a few times trying different sausages. They are so easy and yummy!! Now, I making them to share with new friends who have never had a Texas kolache. Thanks!!
Aw I LOVE hearing that! So glad you are now able to experience these kolaches outside Texas! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Had this for the first time while visiting family in Texas and fell in love with it. So excited to find this recipe and now I make it all the time as a quick easy delicious snack! Great idea using Rhodes frozen rolls. Very yummy!
Yay! That’s what I love to hear! These Rhodes rolls really make this so much easier!
So, I was wondering if I can assemble these the night before and then bake them the next evening?
It can be assembled the night before but I would freeze them immediately after assembling. When ready to bake, let it defrost and rise 3-4 hours prior to baking.
Thanks so much for your feedback! I’m going to try that!
I am from Texas also. Great recipe I used hot Boudin in the place of sausage.So yummy
Yum! Thanks for sharing your modification! Glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve made these twice now, using the rolls you suggested, and they came out perfect! It’s a good thing there are so many rolls in that bag, because I will be making more. Thank you.
That’s great, Mike! They really are addictive! 🙂
Can you use Sister Schuberts rolls instead?
It will not taste as much like the Sausage Kolaches that you find in the donut shops in Texas, but it will still tastes very yummy!
We had these recently while in Austin! Now I can make them at home too!
NICE!!
Easy Peasy Good Yummy
Glad you like it!
I tried this recipe, and it was really good, but I have questions I want to ask; how can I reach you?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Check out the contact me page or find me on Instagram!
Can’t wait to try these, I used to live in Texas and Kolaches and breakfast tacos are a few of the only things I miss.
Can’t wait for you to try it!! Let me know what you think!
I am wanting to make these and serve them at a brunch at 10 AM for my daughter-in-law. How can I do the prep the day before, or even overnight rising in the fridge, and still accomplish this?
You can prepare your dough and wrap the sausages with the dough, refrigerate it, but you’ll want to remove it and let it rise for an hour or so in the morning before baking. Another option is to prepare everything from start to finish and simple heat it when ready to serve. I’ve typically done the latter if I make ahead.