Bierocks

Today I tried my hand at bierocks. These little pockets of  goodness are a family favorite and remind me of arriving at Grandma Seibel's house late in the evening. No matter how late we showed up Grandma always had something savory waiting in the oven. Here is the basic recipe I used. 

• 1 (16 oz) package hot roll mix
• 1 pound ground beef or cube steaks
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 cups shredded cabbage
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• milk

Preparation:

Make roll mix according to package directions for basic recipe through the kneading step. Cover with a towel and let dough rest while preparing the filling.

Filling 
Cook beef and onion until beef is browned. Drain off excess fat. Stir in the cabbage and 1/4 cup water. Cook for 5 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Drain well. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Divide dough into 6 pieces. Roll each piece to a 7 x 5-inch rectangle. Spoon filling lengthwise down center of rectangles. Bring long edges of dough together over filling; pinch edges and ends to seal. Place bundles, seam sides down, on a greased baking sheet. Let stand in a warm place 20 minutes; brush with milk. Bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes or until golden. 

Instead of the hot roll mix you can use your favorite white bread recipe. I felt like it might me cheating if I went the box mix route, but I did it anyway. But seriously, use the mix! Gandma Seibel will still love you! We will be making bread eventually...let's not get too ahead of ourselves.


I added a TBSP of minced garlic into the filling to give the flavor some extra punch. It took longer than I expected for the cabbage to cook, so I put a lid on the filling and let it simmer for a good 20 min while I rolled out the dough. (mostly because it takes longer than Christmas for me to roll out dough)
This dough was a little sticky but rolled out well with enough flour on the counter.
Once I rolled  out a rectangle the fun began...

After spooning in the filling I piled some cheddar cheese in the center.  When introducing a new veggie or dish to my boys, a little (or  a LOT) of cheese never hurts!  

I fold the dough as though I am wrapping a present.  MMMM the gift of flavor! Here is how my little gifts looked before I let them raise.

The 30 minutes of raising time always goes faster when I do a little clean-up on the flour covered kitchen. In no time I was ready to pop them in the oven. The next 20 minutes is pure torture when the smell of fresh baked bread and oniony goodness is wafting from the oven! I'm sure I found more messes to clean up as I waited...we are never short on those at our house!

And finally, here is the finished product. It turned out surprisingly perfect! 

What do I serve with bierocks?

Grandma Seibel would have kept it simple with a bag of classic potato chips, ketchup, mustard, and some homemade dill pickles.

Some articles suggested serving them with a cucumber salad in the summer, and in the cool months try it in combination with a steaming bowl of borscht! And that my friend would make you an overachiever in German meal planning...