Using frozen dinner roll dough, this German runza dish is quick and simple to prepare. These dough pockets, which are also known as bierocks, can be fried or baked, and they are filled with beef, cabbage, and onions. If you’d like, use your own dough recipe.
| Prep Time: | 45 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Additional Time: | 3 hrs 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 4 hrs 45 mins |
| Servings: | 36 |
| Yield: | 36 bierocks |
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 1 (3 pound) package frozen dinner rolls (such as Rhodes®)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 head cabbage, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ quarts vegetable oil for frying, or as needed
Instructions
- Spray a 13×18-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Place frozen rolls onto the baking sheet and cover with sprayed plastic wrap. Let thaw and rise until doubled in size, 3 to 5 hours.
- About 45 minutes before the dough has fully risen, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add ground beef; cook and stir until browned and crumbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then spread mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet. Let cool until dough is ready, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Heat 2 inches oil in a deep-fryer or electric skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- While the oil is heating, flatten a dinner roll with your hands or a rolling pin; place several tablespoons of cooled cabbage mixture into the center. Pull dough edges over the filling and pinch to seal. Repeat with remaining rolls and filling.
- Working in batches of three, fry bierocks in hot oil until golden brown, 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
- We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. Amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and specific type of oil used.
Reviews
I’ve been making it for years from a memory of what my mother made and called “cabbage rolls”. I include garlic and sometimes cheese.
No matter what I did the rolls would split open while frying and filling get flooded with the oil. I used a top brand roll too. The filling was rather flavorless until I added an ton of garlic, then it was good. I fried 3 or 4 and then gave up. The filling was good so saved it and topped some mashed potatoes with it covered in brown gravy. Now that was really good. I was hoping these would have been as good as the ones I first tried in a small German town in Kansas. But they were disappointing. I only gave it a 3 on account of the doctored up filling.
Very tasty. I baked it instead of frying and added a bit more seasoning. Easy to make and reheat in the oven well.
I used ground pork and added shredded carrots and seasoned with tumeric, celery salt, and cumin for variety.
Have made these a dozen time and t hey are always fantastic, the dough is th best. I find it hard to believe anyone would use a packaged bread, the recipie is so easy.
Turned out great!
Made these for a neighborhood party and received great reviews. However, as an appetizer, 2 pounds of hamburger was too much. I liked using sauerkraut instead of cabbage, the onion soup mix, and Worchester sauce. Filling the average-sized refrigerator biscuits worked well. These can be filling so small Runza’s for an appetizer are best.
I enjoyed this recipe but instead of using dinner rolls as stated, I used phyllo dough and baked them in the oven. Before placing in oven I brushed each with melted butter and baked them in 350 degree oven until golden brown. They were so delicious with the flaky pastry outside!
My mom made these for years, started making them back in the 1930’s. The original German recipe calls for sauerkraut instead of cabbage but my dad didn’t care for it. My mom used Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix for her bread. That’s how I make mine now. Love these so much, reminds me of my childhood!
the best way to make this is to use zwieback dough its amazing
Try some sauerkraut in these. Very good !
I made these for the German Club last nite & absolutely delish. I squeezed some gulden’s spicy mustard on top after cooking & mixed it in, gave it a little more zing! I used yeast frozen rolls & held it together w a tooth pick. The next time I would probably use crescent or one of the other refrig rolls. The rolls I used were too difficult to work with. Would def make it again!
I made these using crescent roll dough and filled them with sauerkraut instead of cabbage…man were they delicious! This recipe made a ton of the little buggers, but as soon as I set them out on the table they were snatched up by my guests. Also, I baked them instead of frying them.
I had a friend’s German Biericks years ago and remember them being so good, I wanted to make them. I looked and found this recipe and tried it today. I only used 1/2 a head of cabbage, added garlic, and worchester. I also cooked the meat and cabbage mixture longer than 10 min. (more like 30!)to soften the cabbage. I used Rhodes frozen roles and used all of them and still had a lot ofmeat/cabbage mixture left over! Very good, but would have liked more meat mixture in the roles.
My German mother made these all the time, including the dough from scratch, as I continue to do now. The simplest version is what we always had. It seems adding garlic and/or other spices/flavoring diminishes the simple original version. Keep it simple as this recipe has and enjoy.
My family enjoyed these, but I found them a little bland despite the addition of extra pepper and Worcestershire sauce. I baked them and used crescent rolls because I couldn’t find frozen dinner rolls. Maybe a ground sausage would be more flavorful.
Super convenient. My Girls Scouts loved it!
Made this as a quick weeknight dinner using refrigerated biscuits (i.e. Grands) to make a nice-sized portion. I made a half-batch. I used a whole bag of prepackaged coleslaw mix, added some garlic salt and Worchestershire sauce as others have recommended, and it turned out great. I pressed out one biscuit to about a 6-inch circle, added a generous heap of filling, and placed another pressed-out biscuit on top. Sealed the edges and rolled them under to keep from bursting. Placed on a cookie sheet and baked according to the directions on the roll package, about 15 minutes. Total time from start to finish was about 35 minutes, perfect for those busy weeknights. This approach will use half the recipe, 16 biscuits (2 packages), making 8 portions about the size of a Kaiser roll. Will definitely make again!
An authentic German gal made this for us and I was hooked. I just made Mexican Tamales and had some of the sauce left and added it to the meat mixture, simmered till it was moist, not soupy. I baked mine and they came out outstanding.
These were good and held together well, but by strictly going by the recipe, they tasted a bit bland. I will make them again using another reviewer’s suggestion of adding dry onion soup mix to the meat mixture.
This turned out well the first time I made it, but by adding soy sauce and worstershire sauce the next, the meat was much better tasting. I also used Pilsbury reduced fat crescent rolls as the dough, this made them fantastic!