Kolaches Gone Wild
New shop I Heart Kolache turns out every kind of kolache imaginable
Kolaches from I Heart Kolache come in a variety of flavors.Photo courtesy of I Heart Kolache
I Heart Kolache is a new shop in Farmers Branch.Photo courtesy of I Heart Kolache
A new shop devoted to kolaches, those small, filled rolls of Czech origin, has opened in Farmers Branch with a long list of options, both savory and sweet. I Heart Kolache has every kolache category imaginable: sweets, cheese, meats and fruit.
On the savory side, the menu includes sausage; potato, egg and cheese; turkey with Swiss cheese; and Philly cheese steak. Sweet kolaches come with cream cheese and nine fruit flavors such as peach, strawberry, lemon, apricot, cherry, plum, apple, blueberry and poppy seed.
There is even a "vegetable" category of kolaches, with spinach, bell pepper, squash and Parmesan cheese. There are also croissants, cinnamon rolls, sticky buns and muffins, plus a line of espresso drinks.
The New York Times pronounced kolaches as an up-and-coming trend, calling it "the next-generation doughnut." Although many doughnut shops stock it as a side thing, Dallas has few dedicated kolache shops. Last year, Houston-based Kolache Factory spread its wings north, opening a branch on Coit Road in Plano.
I Heart Kolache is in a space that was previously vacant, which has been finished out with a nice Panera-esque wood and brick decor.
"We opened less than a month ago; we're still getting settled," says manager Yvonne Young. "We start very early in the morning. We open at 6 am. Customers are already waiting for us. They come in on their way to work and get boxes to take into the office."
The recipes are overseen by a veteran baker who Young says has been making kolaches for 20 years but doesn't want to have her own shop. They're considering opening other branches in the area, including Southlake, Denton and downtown Dallas.
"It's intense work and very early morning hours," she says. The shop is currently open until 4 pm but may stay open later in response to requests from neighbors who come home from work and crave a kolache.
