Traditional German Bierocks Aka Runzas Made From Scratch Recipe By Indiana Mommy Cooking From The Heart Land

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.

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!

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.

BIEROCKS - OLD FASHIONED VOLGA GERMAN HAMBURGERS RECIPE - (4.2/5)

Steps:

• Dough: In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Mix in milk, sugar, margarine, eggs, salt, baking powder, and 1/2 of the flour. Beat until smooth; add shortening and remaining flour until dough pulls together. Place in oiled bowl. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. Filling: In a large skillet, brown hamburger and sausage together. Drain, saving drippings in the skillet, and set aside. Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil. Saute onion, garlic, salt, lemon pepper, and mustard for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cup of water, cabbage, and meat mixture. Simmer 30 minutes. Drain any excess fluid. Cool until lukewarm-about the same time it takes the dough to rise. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Punch down dough and divide (20 pieces for appetizers; 10 pieces for entrees). Roll each piece of dough into a 1/8-1/4-inch thick square on a lightly floured surface and add filling (2 to 3 tablespoons for appetizers; 4 to 5 tablespoons for entrees). Fold corners to the center and pinch to seal edges. Place on prepared cookie sheet with pinched edges down. Let rise for 1 hour. If desired, brush dough with melted butter or egg wash (1 egg white with 2 tablespoons water). Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with butter (if not already done) and serve warm.

BIEROCKS

Steps:

• For dough, in a large bowl, combine 4 cups of flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well and set aside. , In a saucepan, heat water, milk and butter just until butter melts. Remove from heat and cool to 120°-130°. Combine with flour mixture; add eggs. Using an electric mixer, blend at low speed until moistened then beat at medium speed for 3 minutes. By hand, gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a firm dough. , Knead on a floured surface about 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down; let rise again until almost doubled. , Meanwhile, for the filling, brown beef with onion, salt and pepper; drain. Mix together with cabbage; set aside. Divide the dough into fourths. Roll each piece into a 15x10-in. rectangle. Cut into 5-inch squares. Spoon 1/3 to 1/2 cup filling onto each square. Bring the four corners up over the filling; pinch together to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Place on greased baking sheets. , Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until brown.