Hey! You have to start this one the day before to get the yeast going.

In a large bowl combine 2 cups of flour, milk, butter, sugar, eggs, and yeast. Mix it with a big spoon until completely combined. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, remove the dough from the frig (keep it in the same bowl) and throw on 1/2 cup of flour and the salt. Fold it in with your hand (yes, it’s sticky, but a spoon won’t work here). Once the flour is incorporated, pull it out of the bowl and set it on the counter on a lightly floured surface. Flatten it into about a 1" thick patty and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle on more flour only as needed as you knead it so it doesn’t stick too much to your hands or the counter (Ha! Needed, knead-it) . I use about 1 1/4 cups more, but that could vary. Just don’t over-flour it. You’ll knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is not sticking and does not require any more flour, then knead for 10 more minutes until you have an elastic dough. Spray a bowl with Pam and throw the dough in. Spray a little more Pam on top of the dough, place it in a warm place, cover it with a damp towel, and let it rise for about 1 hour until doubled in bulk.

Put your dough bowl on the counter next to a large cutting board. Leaving the dough in the bowl, punch down the dough (with your fingers, not your fists). You’ll want consistently sized buns, so get your scale out. Pull off 2 ounces of dough. Roll it in your hands to form a tight ball. Place the ball on the cutting board and flatten it with your fingers. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into about a 5"ish squarish shape, it doesn’t have to be perfect. I found that if you start in the middle and roll out, the dough won’t stick to the pin as much. Add your filling; about 2 tablespoons total is all you’ll need. If you overfill it, you’ll know, just pull some filling back out. Pull two opposite corners up and pinch them together. Pull the other two opposite corners up. They’ll want to fold into a couple more pleats, just go with it to form a pouch. Pinch everything towards the middle and get the seams tight. Place the ball seam-side down on a Silpat (or parchment paper) on a jelly roll pan. Don’t try to cram these all onto one pan. They’ll expand and you’ll end up with a big half-done loaf. Use two pans so the air can circulate all around the buns. Let them rise on the counter for about 20 minutes while your oven preheating to 350̊.

Brush the buns with melted butter or an egg wash and add a flavor sprinkle (see the fillings following for different sprinkles). Bake at 350̊ for 17 minutes until they’re lightly brown. Take the pans out and let them cool on the stove top for about 5 minutes so you can handle them. Serve them warm.

Make the sauce in a small measuring cup. Weigh out the Alfredo sauce, then add the mustard. Add the pepper and thyme and stir is up well with a teaspoon.

Each kolache gets about 1 teaspoon of the sauce mixture. Place a quarter-slice of Swiss cheese on top and flatten the mustard out. Add about 1 tablespoon of chicken and 1 tablespoon of ham.

Whisk up an egg wash. Brush it on the buns. Add a heavy dose of Parmesan, about 1 1/2 teaspoons each to cover the tops well. Sprinkle on some paprika and you’re ready to bake.