It's my honor and pleasure to be a guest writer for Our Treasured Home. Please be sure to also stop by my site, Delightful Country Cookin', to get a taste of what I do.
Ah, the bierock. It's a beautiful thing.
But what is it?
Growing up, we always called them German hamburgers. My mother would make them every so often, and I was always so excited when she did. They are soooo good!
The basic concept is that it's like a hamburger...but not. It's traditionally more of a delicious roll stuffed with a meat and cabbage mixture, although there are other varieties as well. I'm going to show you my take on the traditional bierock. Why? Because it's one of my favorite comfort food meals of all time.
The cast of characters is slightly long, but definitely worth it. For the filling, you need ground beef (or ground turkey), salt, pepper, onion, cabbage, and cream of chicken soup (I made my own).
For the bread, you need flour (I used better for bread), sugar, salt, instant potato flakes, active dry yeast, milk, water, and margarine.
To make the filling, brown 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef (or ground turkey) with 3/4 teaspoons each of salt and pepper. Just for fun, I threw in a few jalapeno slices. It was such a divine addition, I think I'm adding an entire 1/2 cup next time...it added just the right amount of heat.
Once your meat is browned, add 1 chopped onion and 2 cups of chopped cabbage (I use coleslaw mix). Put the lid on and let it steam until the cabbage is wilted and the onion is crisp-tender.
The next thing you do is add a can of cream of chicken soup.
And here is where I get a little weird.
You see, I'm on a dairy-free diet by now (definitely not by choice). I thought about just sulking and putting away all recipes that asked for cream of chicken soup. But instead, I decided to make my own homemade version.
And guess what...you can't tell the difference!
This version, which uses margarine, flour, chicken broth, and water, is an exact substitute for one can of cream of chicken soup. Yes, it's just that cool.
Melt 2 tablespoons of margarine or butter in a saucepan.
Add 2 tablespoons of flour and give it a good stir for a minute or so.
And then slowly, add 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup chicken broth, whisking as you pour them in.
Voila! Cream of chicken soup!
Add the soup to your beef and cabbage mixture and mix thoroughly. You can also add a cup of shredded cheddar cheese at this point if you would like. I didn't, and I surprisingly didn't miss it. But if you are a cheese lover, add away!
Now, turn the heat off your filling, put the lid on it, and let it hang out...we've got to make the bread!
The lazy method would be to thaw some frozen dinner rolls. In the end, though, it's not any faster. This dough is so amazing...and so easy...that I throw the lazy method aside and go for the real deal.
It's worth it...trust me.
In a large bowl combine 2 1/2 cups of flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon potato flakes, and 2 packages of active dry yeast.
In a saucepan, combine 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, and 1/4 cup margarine or butter. I used almond milk - it worked just fine as a dairy-free substitute.
Heat to 130 degrees (the margarine does not need to melt). If you don't have a thermometer with you, heat until it is hot to touch but not so hot that you can't stand it...we want it hot enough to grow the yeast, but not so hot that we kill the yeast.
Killing yeast = bad. :-)
Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and beat well.
Add enough additional flour to your mixture to make a soft dough.
Turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Then cover it with a towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.
It should be beautiful...like so...
Yes, I think bread dough is beautiful. It's like a big giant pillow...I love it.
Pinch off a small piece of that beautiful dough (about the size of an egg) and roll it into a ball.
Roll the ball into a circle and put a heaping tablespoon of your meat/cabbage filling in the middle.
Bring the edges together and pinch.
Place your bierock on a greased cookie sheet and continue until you've used up all of the dough and filling.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, or until they are lightly browned.
his recipe makes about 18 bierocks - they are the perfect size to eat with soup or salad, and they taste amazing...addicting, actually. They also freeze well - just pile in a freezer-safe ziplock bag, freeze, and reheat in the microwave. Bierocks are the perfect make-ahead meal!
Enjoy! - the country cook
Bierocks
Filling:
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
3/4 t. salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
2 cups cabbage, chopped
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup (see post above for directions on making your own)
1/2 cup jalapeno slices (optional)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
Dough:
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour
3 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 T. instant potato flakes
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup margarine
To make filling, brown the beef, salt, pepper, and jalapenos. Add the onion and cabbage; cover and steam until onion is crisp-tender and cabbage is wilted. Add the soup and cheese (if desired) and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
To make the dough, combine 2 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt, potato flakes, and yeast in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, combine milk, water, and margarine. Heat to 130 degrees (margarine does not need to melt). Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and beat well. Add enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover with a towel and let rest 15 minutes.
Pinch off a small amount of dough, about the size of an egg. Roll into a circle and place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling on dough. Bring edges together and pinch; place on greased pan. Bake 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Nutrition*: 219 cal, 8g fat, 3g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 26mg cholesterol, 294mg sodium, 26g carbs, 1g fiber, 3g sugars, 11g protein, 7% vit. A, 10% vit. C, 5% calcium, 13% iron.
*I calculated the nutritional stats with skim milk, Smart Balance light spread, 85/15 ground beef, homemade cream of chicken soup, and no cheese. When made with ground turkey instead of beef, each bierock only has 195 calories, 5g of fat, and 1g saturated fat...it's a winner!
This looks amazing. I used to make breads when I was a teenager. I'm up for the challenge! Thanks for the tip about freezing them. You're tutorial was excellent.
ReplyDeleteOur church does bierocks for Oktoberfest. Although German, they aren't from my family's part of Germany but I can attest they are delicious!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, I want one of those RIGHT NOW!!! Bierocks are my favorite. I've never made them with the chicken broth and flour. I'm going to give that a try! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteI've never had one but they sure look good!
ReplyDeleteHere in Nebraska, they call these RUNZAS, I am assuming after the restaurant by that name that serves them. Homemade ones are better :)
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Gail
Sounds and lookss yummy!
ReplyDeleteI know I'm 10 years late posting this but this recipe has become a staple in my house. I have been using it for the last 6 years. My son always request I make these so I do about once a month. They are out of this world delicious!
ReplyDelete