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Year Four, Day 274: Gluten-Free Kolaches!





Cherry Kolaches:  I had not gotten the "posypka" topping quite right, according to my mother.  





I do believe I got the posypka right on my cream cheese kolaches that I baked today though!




My klobasnek are particularly yummy. My granddaughter loves them!







Dear Friends:

Please forgive my long absence. I have missed sharing my life with you. I hope you are well. 

Me? I am trying to keep my head above water - Physically, emotionally and mentally!

It helps to stay in my zone.  A place where I am so absorbed in what I am doing, that I am in the moment, and not concerned about anything else.

Apparently there is a better word for this state of being: "Flow". And it is particularly useful as some of us live in states that are being restricted again due to apparent surges in the pandemic. 

(https://www.huffpost.com/entry/flow-covid-19-pandemic-mental-health_l_5fb3e7b5c5b6aad41f7361a8

But I found it looked quite awkward to put "Flow" in the title of today's blog post.  

"Kolaches and My Flow".

Eh-hem.  I am a grandma. Post menopause.  No more flow for this woman! 

Sorry if that is too much information.  Anyway, I am digressing. I really wanted to just talk about my kolaches! Baking has definitely saved my soul from being sucked into the abyss during these crazy pandemic times.

Or as I like to call it, the "damndemic!"

Not just any old baking, mind you. Gluten free kolache baking! 

I didn't think it could be done. I am here to tell you today that I am doing it! And loving it!

I have friends and family that are on all ends of the spectrum concerning tolerance for gluten. From full blown celiac, to gluten sensitivity, to people like me who try to avoid many carbs.

I started experimenting by making some with wheat flour and some with gluten free flour.  The gluten free flour I prefer is Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1. 

(https://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free-1-to-1-baking-flour.html)

I started on this new obsession last week. And to date, I have made about 7 dozen different batches of kolaches: Prune, apricot, cream cheese, cream cheese topped with apricot, cherry, klobasnek, and cottage cheese.

Not as good as my Czech grandma, but today's cream cheese kolaches were pretty dang close!

My own mother, who doesn't usually sit in the same room with gluten free baking, sampled a few and found them quite delicious.

She did tell me the posypka topping wasn't quite right.  That was last week. Today, I think I mastered the art of posypka. I just didn't use enough flour before. It needs to be crumbly on top, not melty.

I downloaded a few Czech baking books on my Kindle. There are numerous variations for kolaches. I found a few gluten free recipes on Pinterest. But I have found a technique that works for me.  

I am understanding now how my grandmother couldn't quite put her recipe into writing. It is not just the ingredients, it is the texture and feel of the dough.

One thing I am missing, according to my mother is prayer. She told me my grandma used to make the sign of the cross and pray over each batch of kolaches she made.  That is most likely the magical ingredient.

That, and 70 years of experience. She had been making kolaches since she was a young girl.

I told my mother about my kolache mission at our last breakfast at our favorite breakfast joint before the pandemic freeze hit Washington state. 

She took a sip of her coffee, put it down and said, "You are finally living up to your name, Zita".

I was named after a saint. St. Zita the Little Cook to be precise.  My mother was Catholic. For confirmation as a teenager, she was given a little book featuring the saints of the Catholic church. She was told to read about them and choose one for her confirmation name. She chose Zita. And she named her first born, (me), Zita.

One story my mother told me often, when I was a child was how Zita was he head of the maids for a wealthy family. She had a heart for the poor, and often gave them scraps . One day, she was feeding a poor person when she forgot about her bread in the oven. When she went back into the kitchen, she found angels had removed her bread so it did not burn.

St. Zita was no Joan of Arc, but I am feeling a certain peace embracing her and memories of my Czech grandma as I bake.

I love giving my kolaches to friends and family.

And it has become very therapeutic and helped me remain positive.

I am still working on my weight, and my overall health. But I realized recently that I am ok with my weight currently. I have lost about 65 pounds since I began working on myself.  It has taken over five years. But I have some healthy routines. I still start each day with a weighted hula hoop workout (I am nearing 1 year of daily hooping!) and go for a nice walk most days.  I usually stop eating by about 3 p.m. And try to limit my carbs.

I have a wonderful boyfriend who supports my efforts, but tells me he would love me no matter what.

That in itself is a miracle!

I apologize for the rambling nature of this post. I wanted to reach out and fill you in, but I am exhausted from all of my Zoom piano classes!  

So I will close for now. I hope to blog again soon. But if you don't hear from me before then, I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving! And I thank you for coming along with me on this journey.

Sometime in the near future, if you are interested, I will post my recipes and techniques for making gluten free kolaches.

Talk to you soon.

Love,

Zita








P.S. If you enjoy reading my blog, show me some love and click on the "Buy me a coffee" button below.  Many thanks! :) 

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