Shared Beat has a holistic approach to community empowerment - all rooted in health, education, and opportunity.

When both our jobs announced we'd be moving to fully remote work (with no clear return to office plan in sight), we decided to take advantage of the directive and do a bit of globetrotting, domestic-style.

A common thread spun through our stops has been food - from surprising pops of ingredients through heirloom recipes and full-blown feasts. We've decided to Frankenstein a recipe of our own and whip up an amalgamation of moments collected en route: Kolaches by way of the Czech influence in the Texas Hill country and a filling inspired by an unexpected favorite bite. All coming full-circle when a stranger brought the stand out dish to a friend's going away potluck in California (spoiler alert: the crowd pleaser came in the form of a Kolache). He shared his recipe with us, and now we'll share our take with you. Thanks, Vlad!

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Cheesesteak Kolaches -

Dough (with about a 2.5 hour rise time):

• 1 cup (227g) sour cream
• 1/2 cup (99g) sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. (9g) salt
• 8 tbsp. (113g) butter, melted
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup (113g) lukewarm water
• 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 4 1/3 (550g) unbleached all-purpose flour

Filling:

• Steak:
  • 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. Flank Steak
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp. cumin
  • 1 tbsp. Guajillo chili powder
  • 1 tbsp. dried oregano
  • 2 tbsp. Canola oil
  • Salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste

• Mushrooms:
  • 1 - 1/2 lb. Cremini mushrooms
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 tbsp. salted butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1/4 cup of white wine (Pinot Grigio)
  • 1 tbsp. soy sauce
  • Pepper, to taste

• Carmelized onions:
  • 2 large sweet onions (Walla Walla or Vidalia)
  • 2-3 tbsp. butter

• 1 block Caciotta cheese, shredded (disclaimer: you don't need to use Caciotta. Candidly, we just thought it sounded fun)

Topping:

• 1 Egg
• Sesame seeds

Dough:

Get water to about 115 F and add in 1 tsp of sugar along with a whole packet of active dry yeast. Mix together and leave for several minutes (10 max). The mixture should foam up and get bubbly - this is your sign the yeast is working.

In a small sauce pan on medium low heat, melt all the butter and stir in the sour cream. Keep stirring until both blend together into one product (should reach a solid color of pale yellow mixed). Get it to about 115 F- 120 F.

In large mixing bowl that goes to mixer: put in the sour cream/butter combo. Add in the sugar, salt, and water/yeast combination. Add two eggs and mix well.

Slowly add in small amounts of flour to incorporate. Once it starts to get lumpy, switch to dough hook attachment. Mix in remaining flour. (note: you can also do this by hand)

Mix the dough for around 10 minutes. Add flour and use silicone spatula to avoid dough sticking to the bowl. Should get a consistency that does not stick to the finger. Might still stick to the sides, but shouldn't be much. Continue adding flour until the dough reaches desired feel.

Put the dough into a greased (olive oil) large bowl that can fit double dough size. Use a brush to rub oil on all the sides and then dump dough inside. Flip it over so that it gets completely covered with oil.

Let the dough rest at room temperature with a moist towel on top. Allow to rest until dough has nearly doubled in size (a few hours). At this point, you can remove it and put on a floured surface or just leave it inside there after punching (gently!) and flipping it.

Filling:

Cut onion into thin slices. Heat pan to medium, add 2-3 tbsp. butter. Cook until butter is melted. Add onions to pan and reduce heat. Caramelize until rich brown color is reached. Place aside to cool. Finely chop onions and set aside for assembly.

While dough is resting or any time beforehand, rub the spice mixture onto the flank steak to marinade (at least 30 mins.). Heat cast iron pan to high. Add canola oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Place steak into pan and quick sear for ~2 minutes per side (steak will cook further inside the Kolache). Turn heat off. Add butter and thyme to pan. As butter melts, baste it on top of the steak. Remove steak from skillet and set aside to cool. Once cooled, slice the steak into 1/2 inch strips.

Rinse mushrooms and slice. Melt butter and olive oil together in pan at medium heat. Once heated, add mushrooms to the pan. Don't touch them, let them cook for ~5 minutes, obtaining deep brown on bottom. Add the minced garlic and fresh thyme sprigs, stir and mix until fragrant. Add white wine and soy sauce to the pan. Let the wine cook off (about 3 minutes). Remove the sprigs of thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Allow mushrooms to cool. Finely chop and set aside for assembly.

Assembly:

Once dough has risen, set the oven to 350 F and create 1.75 oz (50 g) balls from the dough. Should make 24 balls. Feel free to put some flour on the dough if it is a bit too oily or sticky. Flatten it into an oval with a lightly floured rolling pin. Add a tablespoon of shredded cheese onto the flattened dough ball. Place a couple strips of the flank steak on one narrow end of the oval. Sprinkle some of the chopped mushroom + caramelized onions on top and add a bit of extra cheese (for good measure). Seal both ends of the Kolache, so that none of the filling is peeking out. Place it on a cookie sheet with silicone pad or parchment paper underneath.

Once about 24 kolaches are made, cover all of them with an egg wash (1 egg + 1 tbsp water mixed together until single consistency). Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.

Bake:

Bake in the oven at 350 F for 20 minutes. If not sure if done, check the bottom side to see that it is well browned. If the top has not browned, you can turn on the broil function for a couple of minutes to singe the tops. This helps give the deep golden brown color. If you have a convection oven, turn on the fan.

Note: To create a lighter/fluffier texture of the dough, once the toppings have been sealed inside, let the Kolaches rest for 1 hour. Put the egg wash and toppings on right before baking.

Enjoy!