St. Joseph's Day and Kolaches

Tomorrow, March 19 is St. Joseph's day.  Besides wearing red - my favorite color, I love kolaches.  St. Joseph's day is the best excuse to make kolaches -- better make some tomorrow.
Kolache Dough
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C soft Crisco shortening
dash of salt
2 eggs
4 C flour
3/4 C warm water
1 pkg dry yeast
Dissolve yeast in the warm water - set aside.  Cream together the sugar, shortening, salt, and eggs.  Add yeast mixture to creamed ingredients.  Mix well and add 1/2 the flour.  Mix well and add remaining flour.  Put dough in a buttered bowl and cover with a towel.  Set in a warm place to rise -  1 1/2 hours to 2 hours.  Once the dough has raised, punch down and use dough to make 1 inch balls.  Place on a baking sheet (on a baking parchment).  Flatten the balls and make a wide indentation in the center of the ball.  In the indentation place filling (a thickened fruit puree, apricots, raisins, cherry, poppy seed etc.)  Allow to rise for 30 minutes.  Bake at 325 degrees until dough is beginning to brown.  While still warm glaze the dough of the pastry.  (Rather than a glaze one could sprinkle powdered sugar on the top - filling and all.)

Poppyseed Filling
1 c. poppyseed, ground
3/4 c. milk
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
3/4 c. sugar
1 tbsp. flour, mashed with butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Bring milk to a boil with poppy seed, cinnamon, cloves, salt and sugar. Boil about 5 minutes. Add beaten egg and flour mixed with butter.

APRICOT FILLING FOR KOLACHES    

1 lb. dry apricots
2 c. water
1 c. sugar
Pinch of cinnamon

Boil apricots and water until partially soft. Add sugar and cinnamon. Mash. Put back on stove to simmer until thick.

RAISIN FILLING FOR KOLACHES  

In a medium saucepan, simmer the 2 cups raisins and 2/3 cup of water over medium heat for 5 minutes. In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar, 3 Tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice and a speck of salt. Gradually stir in the remaining 1 1/3 cup water. Add to the raisins, stirring until the mixture bubbles up.

Add 1   Tablespoon  vinegar, 2  Tablespoons butter and 1  teaspoon orange rind and continue cooking until the butter melts. Cool mixture until it is almost lukewarm.