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Bierocks
Beer Buns, Runza

Bierocks — sometimes called beer buns, krautburgers, or by their Nebraska-famous name, Runza — are hearty, hand‑held meat‑and‑cabbage–filled buns brought to the American Midwest by German‑Russian immigrants in the 18th and 19th centuries

These yeast‑dough pockets were practical, portable meals for farming families, and they quickly became staples across Kansas and Nebraska. In Nebraska, the dish became so iconic that “Runza” is now a trademarked name for the rectangular version popularized by the Runza restaurant chain, which has been serving them since

Whether round like the traditional Kansas bierock or rectangular like the Nebraska Runza, these savory stuffed buns remain beloved symbols of Midwestern heritage — warm, simple, and deeply tied to the immigrant communities that shaped the region.

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For 6 servings (they freeze well)

Ingredients: Use frozen bread dough if in a hurry. This bread dough recipe,

it is much better and really worth the effort.

Dough:
2 cups lukewarm Milk
1/4 cup melted Butter and Vegetable Oil
2 Eggs (beaten)
2 packates, 2 tablespoons Yeast
1/4-1/2 cup Sugar (the more is like a cinnamon roll dough)
1 teaspoon Salt
7 cups of Flour ( plus a little more if needed)

Meat Filling:
1 -1/2 lbs. Ground Beef
1 small head Cabbage chopped medium
1 Onion chopped (about 2 cups)
6 cloves fresh Garlic (chopped)
1 tablespoon Chili Powder
1 tablespoon Caraway Seed (optional)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
1/4 cup Catsup
1 tablespoons Worchestishire Sauce

Egg Wash:
1 egg beaten and mixed with 2 tablespoons water for brushing the
the Buns before baking.


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Kitchen Tool Discussion

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This is a typical enriched sweet dough that makes a huge difference in flavor.


Make sure the milk is not over 100 degrees. just above cold.
Add the yeast and

1. Mix the sponge together in a bowl and let sit for 15 or twenty minutes.


2. Mix together the flour and sugar together in a bowl.

Make a well in the center and beat the eggs, add the sponge and work it into the dough.

Add the butter and work it into the dough.
I wondered at first about using 1/2 cup sugar, but think a cinnamon roll dough or a Stollen dough .
It works well even with savory dishes.
I was struck when I first had this pie, that the dough had a nice sweet flavor that blended well
with the savory beef and cabbage filling.
But this is your choice to it is still good however you like it.

Chill the dough while you prepare the filling.

Brown the ground beef in a frying pan.

Here are the seasonings I like to use.

Add the onions and cook till tender.

Add the cabbage and cook till tender, and the cabbage and cook till tender.
Add the catsup and worcestershire sauce, and other seasonings like caraway, chili powder,
garlic. This is up to your liking.

Divide the dough into 6 equal parts.
Roll out into a round 8 inch circle.

put a good cup of filling, as much as you can get in there and leave about an inch for
the seam around the pie.

Press the seam with a fork to create an oval pie, and place on a greased sheet pan or use parchment
paper or silicone mat. These are a similar shape that you would see in a Runza as opposed to a Bierock.

I like brushing the Buns with the egg wash.

These are shaped like Runza's

Here we fashion a Bierock which looks more like a bun.

Bake 325-350 degrees
for 30 min. or until golden.

I love this shape the best. the large ridge works well for holding it in your hand.

I like to serve these with Catsup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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