Sourdough Caramel Apple Kolache
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Call it a kolache, call it a danish, call it a sourdough milk bun, whatever you name it, these 100% Sourdough Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Kolaches are a top-tier fall dessert recipe! While the naturally fermented dough has its second rise, you’ll make the homemade cream cheese filling, apple filling, crumble topping, and homemade caramel sauce.
This entirely from-scratch dessert is an absolute crowd pleaser!
I am knee-deep in all the autumn baking and I’m loving how my house smells! The cinnamon, the apples, the caramel sauce…it’s heavenly. This sourdough caramel apple kolache is a love letter to fall and to the art of baking.
If you have a brunch or gathering you are preparing for, I can’t recommend enough making this recipe. I used my homemade caramel sauce recipe (which will leave you with extra) but feel free to save yourself time and grab a jar of caramel sauce from the grocery store.
Looking for more fall-inspired desserts? Check these out!
- brown butter salted caramel cupcakes
- brown butter pumpkin sourdough coffee cake
- brown butter caramel apple sourdough discard oatmeal cream pies
Why You’ll Love These Sourdough Caramel Apple Kolaches
- Soft, buttery sourdough brioche: The rich, tender dough is naturally fermented with sourdough starter for an incredibly soft and flavorful base.
- The ultimate fall flavor combination: Sweet caramel, cinnamon-spiced apples, creamy cream cheese, and buttery crumble come together in every bite.
- Three delicious layers of filling: Each kolache is filled with sweet cream cheese and caramel apple filling, then finished with a golden crumble topping.
- Perfect for fall baking: These cozy kolaches are perfect for weekend breakfasts, brunch, holidays, or sharing with family and friends.
- Finished with homemade caramel: A generous drizzle of warm, buttery caramel sauce takes these already delicious kolaches completely over the top.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Add sourdough starter, warm milk, flour, eggs, salt, sugar, and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
Add softened butter, one tablespoon at a time, allowing each addition to fully incorporate before adding more. Knead on medium-high for 7–10 minutes, until smooth, elastic, and pulling away from the bowl.
Cover and let rise at room temperature for 6–10 hours, or until increased by about 30–50%.
Once bulk fermented, I cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge so I can shape and bake the next day! Make it work for your schedule.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 10 equal portions, about 90–100 g each.
Shape each piece into a smooth ball and place on the prepared baking sheets. Cover loosely and let rise for 1–3 hours, or until puffy and ready for filling.
Add diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, and water to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 8–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples soften.
Mix cornstarch and water together to make a slurry. Stir it into the apples and cook for another 1–2 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.
Combine melted butter, flour, and brown sugar in a small bowl. Stir with a fork until coarse crumbs form. Set aside.
Add brown sugar, heavy cream, butter, and salt, if using, to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 5–8 minutes, whisking frequently, until bubbling and thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool slightly; the caramel will continue to thicken as it cools.
Beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until creamy and well combined. Set aside.
Use the poke test to know when your kolaches are ready to bake. Gently press a lightly floured fingertip into the dough near the edge of one kolache. If the indentation springs back immediately, they need more time. If it slowly springs back and leaves a slight indentation, they’re ready to bake. If the indentation stays deeply sunken, they may be overproofed.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Gently press a well into the center of each dough ball, leaving a raised border around the edges. Whisk together the egg and milk and lightly brush the dough with the egg wash.
Add a spoonful of cream cheese filling to each well, followed by a spoonful of caramel apple filling. Sprinkle generously with crumble topping.
Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the brioche is golden brown and baked through. If baking both pans at once, rotate the pans halfway through baking.
Let the kolaches cool for a few minutes, then drizzle generously with caramel sauce. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips for Making the Best Caramel Apple Sourdough Kolaches
- Use an active, bubbly sourdough starter: A strong starter is essential for getting a light, fluffy brioche dough. Make sure your starter is active and at or near its peak before mixing the dough.
- Don’t add extra flour to the brioche dough: This dough is naturally soft and slightly sticky because of the eggs, butter, and milk. Adding too much flour can make the kolaches dense instead of soft and tender.
- Let the dough ferment based on appearance, not the clock: Sourdough fermentation times can vary depending on your starter and kitchen temperature. Look for dough that has increased by about 30–50% and feels noticeably lighter and airy.
- Make sure the apple filling is thick: Cook the apples until tender and allow the cornstarch slurry to fully thicken the filling. A thick apple filling will stay in the center of the kolaches instead of spreading all over the dough.
- Cool the fillings before assembling: Let both the apple filling and caramel cool before adding them to the dough. Warm fillings can make the soft brioche dough difficult to handle and can interfere with the final rise.
- Create a deep enough well: When shaping the kolaches, press firmly into the center while leaving a raised border around the edges. This gives you plenty of room for the cream cheese and apple filling without losing the classic kolache shape.
- Don’t overfill the kolaches: It’s tempting to add as much filling as possible, but too much can overflow during baking. A generous spoonful of cream cheese followed by apple filling is plenty.
- Give the dough enough time for the second rise: The shaped kolaches should look noticeably puffy before baking. Underproofed dough will produce heavier, denser kolaches.
- Use room-temperature cream cheese: Softened cream cheese blends much more smoothly with the powdered sugar and vanilla, giving you a creamy, lump-free filling.
- Don’t skip the crumble: The buttery brown sugar crumble adds a slightly crisp texture that contrasts beautifully with the soft brioche and creamy fillings.
- Drizzle with caramel after baking: Adding the caramel once the kolaches have cooled slightly keeps the sauce glossy and gives you that beautiful caramel drizzle without it disappearing into the dough.
- Serve them slightly warm: These are especially delicious when gently warmed so the cream cheese filling is soft and the caramel becomes slightly gooey.
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium saucepan
- Small bowl for cornstarch slurry
- Small bowl for crumble topping
- Medium bowl for cream cheese filling
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Pastry brush
- Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- Whisk
- Kitchen scale
- Bench scraper
- Cooling rack
- Small spoon or glass for creating the wells in the dough
- Measuring cups and spoons (if not weighing ingredients)
Storage
- Room temperature: Because of the cream cheese filling, store the baked kolaches in an airtight container in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature.
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 4–5 days. For the best texture, allow them to sit at room temperature for a few minutes or gently warm them before serving.
- Reheating: Microwave individual kolaches for 10–20 seconds, or until slightly warm. Be careful not to overheat them, as the caramel and cream cheese filling can become very hot.
- Caramel sauce: Store leftover homemade caramel sauce separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Gently warm before drizzling. You’ll have extra if you make the recipe provided!
- Freezing: For best results, freeze the baked kolaches without the caramel drizzle. Once completely cooled, wrap individually and place in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and gently warm before serving, then add fresh caramel.
If you loved these sourdough kolaches, I’ve got a few other ones you should try!
- sourdough lemon curd cream cheese buns
- sourdough discard strawberry cream cheese buns
- cherry almond sourdough cream cheese buns
Ingredients
For the Sourdough Brioche Dough
- 150 g active sourdough starter 2/3 cup
- 122 g warm whole milk 100–110°F (1/2 cup)
- 390 g all-purpose flour 2 3/4 cups
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 g salt 1/4 teaspoon
- 53 g granulated sugar 1/4 cup
- 5 g vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
- 113 g salted butter softened (8 tablespoons)
For the Cream Cheese Filling
- 12 ounces full-fat cream cheese softened (340 g)
- 1 cup powdered sugar 120 g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 ml
For the Apple Filling
- 5 medium apples peeled, cored, and diced into small pieces (about 5 cups / 600 g)
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 100 g
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 5 g
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1 g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 ml
- 1/4 cup water 60 ml
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch 16 g
- 2 tablespoons water 30 ml
For the Crumble Topping
- 4 tablespoons butter melted (56 g)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 60 g
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 100 g
For the Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk 15 ml
For the Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar 200 g
- 1/2 cup heavy cream 120 ml
- 5 tablespoons butter salted or unsalted (70 g)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 15 ml
- Pinch of salt if using unsalted butter, or more to taste for a salted caramel flavor
Instructions
Make the Sourdough Brioche Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the active sourdough starter, warm milk, all-purpose flour, eggs, salt, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Mix on low to medium speed until a shaggy dough forms and the ingredients are mostly incorporated.
- With the mixer running, add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time, allowing each addition to fully incorporate before adding the next. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Once all the butter has been incorporated, increase the mixer to medium-high speed and knead for about 7–10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, elastic, and begins pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
- The dough will be soft, rich, and somewhat sticky. Do not add extra flour simply because the dough feels sticky. Brioche dough is naturally soft, and adding too much flour can result in dense, dry kolaches.
- Cover the bowl and allow the dough to ferment at room temperature for 6–10 hours, or until it has increased in volume by roughly 30–50%.
- The exact fermentation time will depend on the temperature of your kitchen and the strength of your sourdough starter. In a cooler kitchen, the dough may take closer to 10–12 hours. Watch the dough rather than relying strictly on the clock.
- Optional overnight fermentation: Once the dough has completed its bulk fermentation, cover it and refrigerate overnight. Chilled dough is easier to work with and can be shaped the following day.
Shape the Kolaches
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Turn the fermented dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 10 equal portions, approximately 90–100 g each.
- Shape each portion into a smooth ball by gently pulling the edges of the dough toward the center and rolling it against the work surface to create surface tension.
- Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving several inches between each one.
- Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and allow the kolaches to complete their second rise for approximately 1–3 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- If the dough was refrigerated overnight, expect the second rise to take closer to 3 hours.
- Use the poke test to know when your kolaches are ready to bake. Gently press a lightly floured fingertip into the dough near the edge of one kolache. If the indentation springs back immediately, they need more time. If it slowly springs back and leaves a slight indentation, they're ready to bake. If the indentation stays deeply sunken, they may be overproofed, bake them anyway!
- While the dough is completing its second rise, prepare all of the fillings and toppings.
Make the Cream Cheese Filling
- In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix until completely smooth and creamy.
- Set aside at room temperature while you prepare the remaining fillings.
Make the Apple Filling
- Peel, core, and dice the apples into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Add the diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup water to a medium saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples begin to soften and the mixture becomes syrupy, about 8–12 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until completely smooth.
- Slowly pour the cornstarch slurry into the cooked apples while stirring continuously.
- Continue cooking for another 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the apple mixture thickens and becomes glossy.
- Remove from the heat and allow the filling to cool. It should be thick enough to mound onto the kolaches rather than run off the dough.
Make the Crumble Topping
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, flour, and brown sugar.
- Stir with a fork until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.
- Set aside.
Make the Caramel Sauce
- If using store-bought caramel sauce, simply set it aside until the kolaches are baked and ready to serve.
- For homemade caramel, add the brown sugar, heavy cream, butter, and salt, if using, to a medium saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, for 5–8 minutes, allowing the mixture to gently bubble and thicken.
- Once the caramel has thickened, remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Cook for another 1–2 minutes, then remove from the heat.
- Allow the caramel to cool in the pan. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
Prepare the Kolaches for Baking
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Prepare the egg wash by whisking together the egg and milk.
- Once the dough balls have completed their second rise, gently press down into the center of each one with your fingers or the bottom of a small glass, creating a deep well while leaving a raised border around the edges.
- Be careful not to completely flatten the dough.
- Brush the exposed dough lightly with the egg wash.
- Add a generous spoonful of cream cheese filling to the center of each kolache.
- Top with a spoonful of the cooled caramel apple filling.
- Finish each kolache with a generous sprinkling of crumble topping.
Bake
- Bake the kolaches at 350°F (175°C) for 25–30 minutes, or until the brioche is golden brown and baked through.
- If you’re baking both pans at the same time, rotate the baking sheets halfway through baking so the kolaches bake evenly.
- Keep an eye on them toward the end of baking. The exact baking time will depend on the size of your kolaches and your oven.
Add the Caramel
- Allow the kolaches to cool on the baking sheets for several minutes.
- Once they are warm but no longer piping hot, drizzle generously with the caramel sauce.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
My family (and neighbors!) devoured these! Let me know what you think if you make them! The caramel sauce is my go-to simple caramel recipe!