by Bottom Line: The jalapeno, sausage, and cheese kolache is a Texas classic that brings a nice kick to breakfast time.
Texas is known for its barbeque, its Tex-Mex food, its chicken-fried steak, its pecan pies, and more, but there is one item that real Texans know about that has not received much attention outside of the state: kolaches. Those are yeast rolls often eaten at breakfast time that can be filled with fruit and/or cream cheese or with sausage, cheese, and other savory items. And for those looking for a kolache with a kick, the jalapeno, sausage, and cheese version always hits the spot.
Kolaches are of Czech and Slovak origin, and you will sometimes see them referred as sausage rolls or by other names. They have worked their way into Texas cuisine courtesy of Eastern European immigrants, and there are parts of the state where they are quite common. The sausage-filled version is what you will find most often, but plenty of places offer the fruit filling as well. In Houston, there is a donut shop on practically every corner, and you don’t have a donut shop in that city unless you have kolaches as well. In San Antonio, they are not quite as prevalent because breakfast tacos dominate the morning options, but you can find them if you look around. Grand Donuts on Bulverde Rd. north of 1604 is a Houston-style donut shop, and that is where I stop most often for my kolache fix.
For their jalapeno, sausage, and cheese kolache, the bread is nice and yeasty and plenty fluffy with a bit of sweetness. The sausage is smoky and meaty with good saltiness and works perfectly well with the roll it is stuffed into. The jalapeno is pickled, but since it is cooked with the kolache it brings a slight roasted taste. The cheese adds just a touch of sharpness to bring everything together. This is perfect as a quick and easy breakfast meal all in one. And you will find what they offer very similar to other local donut shops as many of them appear to follow close to the same recipe.
Typically, the jalapeno cheese kolache is around Mild on my heat scale which is perfect for breakfast. I like a little kick, but if it gets too spicy it does not pair well with coffee (and I am definitely drinking my cup of Joe at breakfast time). I have had some that amp up the heat level, and for a while Krispy Kreme had a jalapeno, sausage, and cheese kolache that really had a kick (sadly it was dropped off the menu during the COVID crunch). The Buc-cees version has some good heat as well, and it is a pretty sizable sausage roll (they also offer a nice selection of fruit-filled ones).
Grand Donuts also sells the fruit kolaches, and those are quite good as well. But for a nice little burst of spice in the morning, that jalapeno, sausage, and cheese kolache is the perfect way to start your day. They sell them in medium and large (as do most places) and I usually get one of their delicious donuts to go with a medium kolache for the perfect pairing of savory and sweet with my morning coffee. I guess you could also have kolaches for lunch or dinner, but they just seem like the perfect breakfast food.
You should have plenty of places that offer kolaches if you are in Texas or nearby, though in certain parts of the state they are not quite as popular. If you can’t find a donut or kolache shop near you, HEB has their brand that you can find in the refrigerated or freezer section and those heat up quite well in the microwave. Longtime Texans are well familiar with this Eastern European delicacy, and those who may be new to the state will likely find themselves quickly addicted to them.
Grand Donuts is located at 21920 Bulverde Rd, San Antonio, TX 78259.
