Runzas Bierocks Food

RUNZAS (BIEROCKS)

Steps:

• Thaw out frozen bread dough; cut each roll into 3 pieces and set aside. Brown beef and cabbage in a large skillet, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Roll out bread dough and cut into squares. Place a spoonful of the beef/cabbage mixture onto the center of each dough square. Sprinkle cheese on top, fold over and pinch sides to seal. Rub a bit of oil on the outside of each pastry.
• Place in a 9x13 inch baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until golden brown.

BIEROCKS OR RUNZAS

Steps:

• Bloom the yeast in the warm water for 10 minutes, then mix all the remaining dough incredient together in a bowl. Knead on a floured surface for 5 minutes, then cover and let rest 1 hour.
• Make the filling. Heat the butter in a large pan and cook the cabbage, sauerkraut and onions over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in the thyme, mustard, vinegar and beer and simmer until the liquid is all gone. Turn off the heat, and, when this is cool, mix well with the uncooked meat. Set in the fridge.
• After the first hour has elapsed, punch down the dough, knead a few more times, then roll into a ball, cover and let sit another hour.
• When the dough has about 30 minutes to go, take the filling out of the fridge. It is important that it goes into the bierock at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a baking sheet well.
• Cut the dough into eight pieces. Set the pieces you are not working on under plastic wrap or a damp towel. Divide the filling into eight parts, too.
• Roll a piece of dough into a ball, then flatten it to about 1/3 of an inch thick. Roll the outer inch of the dough thinner, to about ¼ inch thick or even thinner if you can - this makes what will become the bottom of the pastry match better with the top. Add some filling and bring the dough up all around it to seal. Set the dough seam side down on a floured surface and gently shape it into a flattened ball with your hands. Set on the greased baking sheet and repeat with the other pieces of dough.
• When all your bierocks are made and on the sheet, paint them all with egg and sprinkle with the seeds, plus a little more salt.
• Bake for 25 minutes, and cool a bit before serving. These are excellent at room temperature, too.

TRADITIONAL GERMAN BIEROCKS (AKA RUNZAS) - MADE FROM SCRATCH: RECIPE BY INDIANA MOMMY - COOKING FROM THE HEART LAND

Steps:

• For the filling: I make the filling the day before I want to make the bierocks and cool it overnight in the refrigerator. Start by warming 1 tablespoon of the butter & avocado oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shredded cabbage, the onion, the ground beef and the salt and pepper. Break up the beef. Add the water and cover and cook over medium low heat for 30-40 minutes stirring occasionally. The cabbage should be wilted and the beef fully cooked through. Drain the mixture when it finishes cooking.
• For the dough: Heat the milk, water & butter over low heat on the stovetop until the butter is almost melted (between 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit.) In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook add 4 cups of the flour with the salt, sugar and yeast and stir together. Slowly add the milk mixture while the dough hook is mixing. Scrape the bottom and the sides a few times to make sure there aren't any pockets of flour in this mixture. Once all the flour is mixed in, add the eggs 1 at a time and mix for 3-5 minutes until all those ingredients are fully incorporated. Then while the dough hook is going add 1 cup of flour at a time until your dough comes together. It will pull away from the sides of the bowl and no longer be sticky. You need to knead the dough for 10 minutes. Grease a large bowl and put the dough into that bowl, rubbing the top and bottom in the grease that is in the bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a slightly warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch it down and let it rise again for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4. Roll each of these 1/4ths into a rectangle and cut into 6 pieces. Take about ½ cup of the filling mixture and put it into each of the 1/6ths. Pull up the diagonal corners to meet in the middle and close all 4 seams by pinching them shut. Put all the bierocks on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes or until nicely browned on top. I rotated mine halfway through cooking to ensure even browning. You can put them seam side up or down. Down is the more popular method because it holds the seams closed better, but that's up to you. I brushed them all with butter when they came out of the oven but that is not required.
• These freeze so well and are really great dipped in ketchup, bbq sauce, ranch, blue cheese....I love my dips haha!

STUFFED HAMBURGER-CABBAGE BUNS (RUNZAS OR BIEROCKS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In 10 inch skillet, brown beef over medium heat.
• Drain fat and add cabbage, onions, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper.
• Cook until cabbage is crisp/tender (5 minutes).
• Add cheese and ketchup.
• Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• Divide each bread loaf into 4 equal pieces.
• Roll dough out on lightly floured surface into a 6 inch circle.
• Place 1/2 C of beef mixture into center of each circle.
• Pinch the edges of the dough together to enclose beef and form into bun shape.
• Seam side down, place filled bun on greased cookie sheet.
• In small bowl, mix egg and milk.
• Brush top of bun with egg mixture.
• Sprinkle top with a bit of kosher salt and cracked pepper if desired.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until browned.
• Serve with ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce and relish if desired.
• TIP-buns can be frozen after cooking.
• To prepare frozen buns, remove from freezer-wrap in foil and place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until heated through.

SAUERKRAUT BIEROCKS CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Brown onion, garlic and ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes.
• Add red pepper flakes and continue cooking until the ground beef is fully cooked. (If using fresh cabbage, add here and cook until soft.)
• Drain extra fat out of the skillet then stir in drained sauerkraut and Worcestershire. Heat through and set aside.
• Press 1 package of crescent roll dough into the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Spread beef mixture on top and cover with cheese.
• Lay second package of crescent roll dough over the top of the beef and cheese mixture.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

EASY GERMAN BIEROCKS (RUNZA)

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in ground beef, and cook until crumbly and no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in chopped onion, and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes more. Add the chopped cabbage; cook and stir until the cabbage has softened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then spread the mixture onto a baking sheet to cool until cool enough to handle.
• Once the mixture has cooled, flatten a dinner roll, and place several tablespoons of the cabbage mixture in the center. Pull the edges of the dough over the filling and pinch to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
• Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or electric skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Fry bierocks a few at a time in the preheated oil on both sides until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes; drain on paper towels.