If you’re familiar with the Czech koláč (kolache), which is a sweet, yeasted bun with various fillings, you’ll notice that these look like a large, flat version of that. The Valašský Frgál is a round, flat tart that comes from the Valašsko region of the Czech Republic, known in English as Wallachia. Traditional fillings include povidla (plum butter), pear butter from dried pears, farmer’s cheese, poppy seed, blueberry, and even savory fillings like cabbage. However, the sweet fillings are the most common today. A sweet streusel or gingerbread crumbs are sprinkled on top before baking
This dessert is a protected food by the the Czech Ministry of Culture and must follow certain guidelines (such as not mixing fillings), as well as be made in Wallachia in order to be sold under the name Valašský Frgál.
In the recipe below, I show you how to make four fillings from scratch – plum, pear, poppy seed, and farmer’s cheese. I make the pear filling using fresh pears instead of dried because I don’t have access to dried pears where I live in the United States. The fresh pear filling is traditional, though less common than the dried pear filling.
Czech Pies from Wallachia | Valašský Frgál
A sweet, yeasted crust filled with a variety of different flavorings, such as plum butter, pear butter, sweet cheese, and poppy seed. These are a large, flat version of a more commonly known dessert called a kolache (koláč) and they come from a region in the Czech Republic called Wallachia. This dessert is a protected food by the the Czech Ministry of Culture.
Ingredients
Method
Plum Butter
- Wash and pit your plums. Cut them into quarters.
- Place the washed and quartered plums in a slow cooker, choosing the size of the slow cooker to fit the amount of plums you choose to cook.
- Put ½ cup of water in the slow cooker with the plums to prevent scorching.
- Set the slow cooker to high for 1 hour.
- Every 30-45 minutes stir the plums, reducing the heat to low if they are boiling too vigorously. I reduced the heat to low after 1 hour and then let them simmer for about 6 hours.
- Once the plums are very broken down, soft, and submerged in their own juices, remove the lid to the slow cooker and turn the heat back to high. Let them simmer with the lid off until no liquid remains and they have formed a thick paste. Stir often, about every 15 minutes, but as they reduce you may need to stir more often than that to prevent scorching. This took about 2 hours.
- Once they have reduced as much as possible without burning, puree them with an immersion blender or transfer them to a blender, taking care not to burn yourself.
- Test the consistency. It should be thick and form a thin, breakable thread as it falls off of the spoon.
Pear Butter
- Wash and core your pears. Cut them into quarters.
- Place the washed and quartered pears in a slow cooker, choosing the size of the slow cooker to fit the amount of pears you choose to cook.
- Put ½ cup of water in the slow cooker with the pears to prevent scorching. Add 2 star anise and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Set the slow cooker to high for 1 hour.
- Every 30-45 minutes stir the pears, reducing the heat to low if they are boiling too vigorously. I kept my pears on high the whole time because they took much longer to cook and break down than the plums did.
- Once the pears are very broken down, soft, and submerged in their own juices, remove the lid to the slow cooker and turn the heat back to high, if it isn't already. Let them simmer with the lid off until little to no liquid remains and they have formed a thick paste. Stir often, about every 15 minutes, but as they reduce you may need to stir more often than that to prevent scorching.
- Once they have reduced as much as possible without burning, remove the star anise and puree them with an immersion blender or transfer them to a blender, taking care not to burn yourself.
- Test the consistency. It should be thick and form a thin, breakable thread as it falls off of the spoon.
Poppy Seed Filling
- Combine all of the ingredients for the poppy seed filling (except for the semolina) in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to a paste and let it boil and bubble for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn't scorch.
- Add the semolina and whisk to combine. Cook for another minute and then transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside until you are ready to use.
Sweet Cheese Filling
- Combine all of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and then beat with an electric mixer until well-combined and creamy.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
Dough
- Add about 60 ml / ¼ cup of your milk to a stand mixer and stir in the yeast, 1 tbsp of each flour kind of flour, and 1 tbsp of the powdered sugar. Cover and let the yeast bloom for 5 minutes.
- Then add in the rest of your ingredients (reserving some milk) to the bloomed yeast and knead on medium speed for a few minutes until you have a smooth dough that comes away from the sides of the bowl and isn't sticky. If it is sticky, add 1 tbsp extra of all-purpose flour at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Alternatively, if the dough is dry, add in 1 tbsp extra of milk until you reach the right consistency.
- Let the dough rise in a covered bowl until it has doubled in size. This could take up to 2 hours or more because of how enriched the dough is.
- Once the dough has risen. punch it down and divide it into four equal portions. Cover the balls of dough in a bowl that you are not working with so that they don't dry out.
- Roll each ball of dough out on a piece of parchment paper until it is a flat circle the width of your baking sheet, about 11-12 inches. Slide the parchment papers with the dough circles onto your baking sheets.
- Spoon your fillings onto each piece of rolled out dough, spreading it until it is about ½ inch from the edge. Use all of your cheese filling and poppy seed filling for one pie each, but do not use all of your plum and pear fillings. You will only need about 375 grams or 1½ cups for each pie. The leftovers can be stored in the fridge for other dessert fillings or to be spread on toast.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of streusel over each pie and then cover each baking sheet with plastic wrap and let rise for about 30-45 minutes, or until the dough looks slightly puffed up.
- Bake each pie for 15-17 minutes in a 350℉ / 180℃ pre-heated oven until it is golden on the edges.
- Let cool on a rack and then slice to enjoy!
Video
Notes
Course flour is type of flour used in the Czech Republic that has a very similar consistency to semolina. Semolina, however, is much higher in gluten than Czech course flour, so care needs to be taken not to overwork the dough, if you choose to substitute semolina for the hrubá mouka (course flour). I have not tested the recipe with semolina, so I cannot vouch for how it will turn out, if you make this substitution.
https://www.slovczechvar.com/
This is the US-based Slovak Czech supplier that I purchased the hrubá mouka (course flour) from. The actual flour was not linkable. Search under “food” and then “baking/cooking” and then scroll until you find a flour listed in English as “FLOUR WHEAT GROSS – VITAFLORA”. Let me know if you need help finding it! The supplier shipped very quickly and I received it in only a few days.
Ground poppy seeds are hard to find in the US. Try finding them on Amazon or looking for local European food suppliers. I found mine at a local Polish store.
For the plum and pear butters, use however much as you would like. You will need at least a couple of pounds, so it doesn’t burn in your slow cooker. I used 5 lbs and ended up with extra to store in the fridge and use for other purposes.
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