"Jenn" <wannabeachef @ wideopenwest.com> wrote in message >...
> I was baking with my dad this weekend, making cookies that my grandmother
> used to make - her recipe for Kolacky. The recipe for the dough called for
> 6 cups flour, 1 lb sour cream, 1 lb butter (or half butter, half margarine),
> 4 egg yolks a tsp of salt, and 4 yeast cakes. The method was to mix the
> yeast cakes with half the sour cream, then mix the rest of the sour cream
> into that. Mix the egg yolks into the sour cream. Cut the butter into the
> flour and salt. Then mix it all together. Then roll it out, cut them, fill
> them, and bake them off.
>
> My question is what is the yeast in this recipe for? I can't understand why
> it's there! I was thinking about making up a batch this weekend w/o the
> yeast to see how they turn out. There is no resting or letting anything
> rise involved with this dough. My grandma isn't around anymore, so I can't
> ask her (although I am going to be attending a John Edward seminar in May,
> maybe she'll let me know then!! lol). Anyway, if anyone can let me know,
> I'd like to hear from ya. I'm really just curious.
>
> Jenn. W.

There are versions of kolacky that contains yeast. Maybe your grandma
got confused with the other recipes and knowing other recipes contain
it she just have to add it to her recipe without understanding its
purpose.
Have a look at these:
http://www.bakery-net.com/rdocs/kolacky.html

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1810,...239207,00.html

The dough here is rested (or allowed to ferment).
Roy