My mom would never make bierocks until the weather got cooler in the fall. I always looked forward to it and would nag her about it. Actually, I still do. But then I realized this year that I am a grown-ass woman and can probably start making my own. Don’t get me wrong, hers will still always be the absolute best I’ve ever had.
I remember one November Sunday late afternoon, my girlfriend Holly and I were studying for a chemistry exam at the campus library. Got a text from my mom, asking if we’d want to come over for hot bierocks and chicken noodle soup. Clearly, we dropped everything and went over. Pretty sure that exam did not go well.
This is a great recipe for a lazy Sunday afternoon. If you’re pressed for time, you can start the dough and make the filling, leave the dough to rise for an hour and let the filling cool, then come back to fill and bake. I put the pedal to the medal and had these done in about 2.5 hours. It was a race, though. This is a dairy-free recipe. You can use cow’s milk instead of non-dairy and butter instead of oil. If you are vegetarian or vegan, use the same amounts for filling, but replace beef with seitan or mushrooms, or a mix of both!
Happy Sunday. Enjoy yourselves.
Bierocks Recipe
Dough
2 c milk, scalded and cooled (I used almond-coconut milk)
2 pkg active dry yeast (4.5 tsp)
1/8 c sugar
2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 c coconut oil, melted (or veg oil, or butter)
7-8 c all-purpose flour
Add the sugar and yeast to a large bowl with the milk. Milk should not exceed 110F. Mix around and let it sit and bubble for 5 minutes. Add in the eggs, salt, oil and mix to combine. Add in flour and mix to combine. Knead for about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl in a warm spot, covered with a tea towel, to double in size, about 30-45 minutes.
Filling
2 lb. ground beef
2 pkg coleslaw mix (yes, I was in a hurry and did this. you can finely grate two heads of cabbage instead)
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
lots of salt, to taste
lots of pepper, to taste
Add the onions to a big pot with a bit of oil and cook until softened. Add in the beef or alternative and cook until browned and done. Add in cabbage and seasonings and let it all cook down. This should take about 15-20 minutes. Season to taste. Set aside to cool.
Assembly
Roll out the dough to about 1/4″ thick, or 1/8″ if you can. Cut into 2″ x 4″ rectangles. You may have to split your dough in half… I did. My counter isn’t big enough to do it all at once. Fill each rectangle with as much filling as possible, about 1/4 c. You want a high filling-to-dough ratio, in my option. Fold the edges around the filling and crimp shut. Put on a greased sheet pan, crimped side down. Fill your sheet pan, preheat the oven to 400F, and set the pan of bierocks on the stovetop to rise for about 20 minutes.
Continue on until all of the dough and filling is used.
Brush each bierock with an egg wash and sprinkle with the toppings you love. I love everything-topping mix. This includes: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dry garlic, dry onion, kosher salt, fennel seed, and caraway seed. Sprinkle to your heart’s content!
Bake at 400F for about 20 minutes, or until nice and golden brown. I brushed the baked bierocks with coconut oil, but my mom used salted butter and that was even better
Enjoy your Sunday!!