When local baker Abby Benz heard about a national “Create a New Kolache” contest sponsored by The Kolache Factory, memories of her childhood came to mind.
“My mom used to do these quick dinners and one of our favorites was her version of a Monte Cristo sandwich,” Benz explained. “She’d take crescent rolls and lay them out on a pan; then, layer on ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, sometimes raspberry, sometimes strawberry preserves. And then put another layer of crescent rolls on top and bake it all together. Since the crescent rolls are a little bit sweeter, it was almost like the powdered sugar on a traditional Monte Cristo. We loved them. We ate them hot, cold, anytime of the day.”
Benz
By Jessica Meszaros
Benz took the same concept and created her winning kolache, which will roll out nationwide on Aug. 1.
“I am so excited my late-night inspiration and Instagram scrolling paid off with free kolaches for a year!” she exclaimed.
Benz can collect her prize and others can taste her creation at The Kolache Factory in Brentwood.
Kolache Factory owner Jenni Smith realized after Benz won that the women had a typical “St. Louis one degree of separation” connection. Smith employees some of Benz’s former culinary students. Benz teaches pastry at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, which also is her alma mater. Smith also followed Benz’s bakery, Spoil Me Sweetly, on social media.
Benz’s business shares collaborative kitchen space at The Bakers Hub in Chesterfield, 67 Forum Shopping Center and specializes in designing handcrafted baked goods and custom cakes for all occasions.
A Spoil Me Sweetly creation
By Kate Uptergrove
“When I’m working with cake clients I really can’t say, ‘no.’ If someone says, ‘can you do that,” I say, ‘I’ll figure it out.’ Recently, a woman called me and said she had called 13 bakers trying to find one that would do a strawberry cupcake. I was like, ‘Bless your heart. I would have given up after three,’” Benz said.
While Benz would not reveal her secret for baking with fresh strawberries and preventing them from turning gray and mushy in the bake, she did share a few tips for home bakers.
“Even if you’re using a boxed cake mix, add something for moisture,” Benz advised. “I add sour cream to help keep the cake moist longer but you can use things like applesauce or even mayonnaise, which sounds weird but think about it, mayonnaise is made from eggs and oil, two ingredients already in cakes.
“The icing also is really important. I make Italian buttercream [it’s part meringue, part simple syrup with butter added in] but most people make American buttercream, using powdered sugar, which registers as 10 times sweeter on your palate then regular sugar. That’s why a lot of people say they don’t like icing; it’s too sweet.”
Benz suggests getting creative with frostings because that’s what people are going to taste first. And, she said don’t forget to dress up your creations. Adornments don’t have to be complicated, but details do matter. After all, it was the details that impressed the judges who chose Benz’s kolache from a field of more than 1,700 entries from 23 states.
According to the official press release, the judges scored the entries on visual appeal, quality of taste, stability of filling, simplicity of recipe and name appeal.
By Kate Uptergrove