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Kansas Bierocks with Three Variations: If you’ve ever bought the commercial-grade Hot Pockets brand snacks, you’ve had to wonder what was in them, right? I mean – how can you put something in the microwave and never, ever know if it’s going to be a frozen pizza-cicle on the inside or molten cheese-lava? It’s positively diabolical! And the ingredients? I’ve seen fewer chemicals in my students’ old chem lab experiments. So to spare us all the agony of boiled palates and pickled innards, here’s an authentic Kansas Bierocks Recipe.
The basic idea is borrowed from my Kansas bierock recipe – a soft bread outside with meat and cheese on the inside. The variations are just combinations of meat, cheese and spices that complement one another – just like my ancestors would have done back on the steppes of Russia! Nothing artificial, no preservatives – just chewy, meaty, cheesy goodness!
I recommend using a silicone mat when baking your bierocks to avoid sticking and make cleanup easier. Here’s a good option
Kansas Bierocks with Three Variations
There are two parts to the recipe – the bread and the filling. Starting with the bread, you can follow the recipe on my bierocks page if you would like to try the traditional Kansas version, or continue on and see some of the variations I’ve made.
Bierocks Recipe – And Variations
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 tsp Active Dry Yeast 2 packs
- 3/4 cup Sugar plus 1 tbsp for yeast
- 1 cup Warm Water 110F
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 2 cups Warm Milk
- 8 cups Flour I used 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 unbleached organic all-purpose flour
- 8 tbsp Melted Butter
- 2 lg Eggs
- Your choice of filling
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine yeast and 1 Tbl sugar. Whisk in 1 cup warm water. In another bowl, combine salt, warm milk and 3/4 cup sugar.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 4 cups of flour, melted butter and eggs. Mix with paddle or spoon, then add yeast mixture and the milk mixture. Mix to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let sponge for 1/2 hour, or until frothy.
- Remove the wrap and stir in the remaining 4 cups of flour. Turn out the dough (it will be sticky) onto a well-floured surface. Knead the dough, adding all-purpose flour until it’s no longer sticky, but smooth and elastic – about 8 to 10 minutes.
Why whole wheat? I enjoy the nuttier flavor as well as the added fiber. - Spray the large bowl with cooking spray and place the kneaded dough in the bowl, turning to coat. Cover with wrap and let rise for another 1 1/2 hours – or until double. (Mine only took 1 hour).
- Punch the risen dough down and your ready to roll.
- When the dough has risen, turn it out again onto a heavily floured board or surface. You’ll need to cut it into 24 somewhat even pieces. I cut the big lump in 1/4, then stretched those pieces out and cut them into 6 pieces. A little variation is fine. Cover your pieces with plastic wrap while you work rolling them out.
- Roll a piece of dough into a ball, then with a rolling pin roll it out to about 1/8″ to 1/4″ thick. Even at 1/8″ you’ll have plenty of bread, so don’t worry about making them too thin. You should have a circle about 6″ in diameter.
- Place 1/2 cup filling in the center, then top with 1 Tbl of cheese. Pull up opposite sides of the circle and pinch them together. Pull the OTHER sides together and do the same. Pinch up the sides to seal all the way, fold all this under the roll and place that side down onto a greased sheet or baking pan.
- Bake the rolls at 350 for 25 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown.
Notes
Kansas Bierocks with Three Variations – Why These Three?
While the dough is rising and/or sponging, you can work on the fillings. To be honest, I opened up the fridge and just looked around. I had ground beef, ground sausage, two small blocks of cheddar cheese, and half a bag of Mexican cotija cheese (sometimes called Mexican parmesan.) Perfect! I’ll make three different types of bierocks – a ground beef pizza, a spicy sausage Italian, and a ground beef, broccoli and onion with cotija cheese.
Ground Beef Pizza Filling for Bierocks
Ground Beef Pizza Filling for Bierocks
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1/2 Onion chopped
- 6 oz Cheddar Cheese grated
- 2 tsp Italian Spices or blend
- 1 tsp Salt If not in the spice blend
- 1 dash Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 can Tomato Paste not sauce
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef and onion until the onion is translucent. Drain well. In a small bowl, mix beef, spices, salt and tomato paste until blended.
Spicy Sausage Italian Filling for Bierocks
Spicy Sausage Italian Filling
Ingredients
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 4 large mushrooms sliced or chopped
- 6 oz cheddar cheese grated
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1 small can tomato paste not sauce
Instructions
- Brown the sausage, onion and mushrooms until the onion is translucent and the mushrooms are softened. Drain well. In a small bowl, mix sausage, salt and tomato paste. Set aside.
Broccoli and Cotija Cheese Filling for Bierocks
Broccoli and Cotija Cheese Filling
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 1 small head of broccoli or 1 small thawed bag of frozen broccoli cuts
- 1/4 head cabbage chopped
- 1/2 cup grated Cotija cheese
- Salt/pepper to taste the cheese is salty, so you won’t need much
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef, onion and cabbage until the onion is translucent. In a bowl, mix the beef, cheese, salt, pepper and caraway. If using fresh broccoli, blanch the head in hot water for about a minute before chopping. If using frozen, DRAIN WELL on paper towels and set aside.
Notes
Kansas Bierocks With Variations – Questions and Answers
What exactly is a bierock?
A bierock is a stuffed bread roll that came to Kansas with German-Russian immigrants — soft dough wrapped around a savory meat and cheese filling. Think of it as the original hot pocket, minus the ingredient list you can’t pronounce.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes. You can prep the dough a day ahead and refrigerate it after the first rise — just punch it down, cover it well, and let it come back to room temperature before rolling. You can also make the fillings a day or two in advance and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble.
Can I freeze bierocks?
Absolutely, and they freeze beautifully. Let them cool completely, then store in freezer bags. To reheat, 2 minutes on high in the microwave brings one back to life.
Do I have to use these three fillings?
Not at all — that’s the fun of bierocks. These three (beef pizza, spicy sausage Italian, and broccoli cotija) came from what I had in my own fridge. Once you’ve got the dough down, you can fill it with almost any cooked meat, cheese, and vegetable combination you like.
Can I make mini bierocks for a party?
Yes — just cut the dough into smaller pieces and use about 2 tablespoons of filling instead of 1/2 cup. They make great appetizers and the bake time will be a bit shorter, so keep an eye on them.
Is this the same as a runza?
Bierocks and runzas are close cousins — same basic idea of meat and cabbage or filling wrapped in bread, with roots in the same German-Russian immigrant communities. Runza is actually a trademarked name (and a restaurant chain in Nebraska), while bierock is the more general, traditional term used across Kansas
Take a look in your fridge and see what you would come up with. Leave me a note at the link above.
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I have been looking for a recipe for better dough for my Runzas (bierocks in Nebraska). I used 2C of wheat flour and this recipe came out great! I added some beer brats to the meat for a little flabor. Had a lot left over dough so I just turned it into cinnamon rolls slathering the dough with softened butter, cinnamon, brown sugar and a little flour to keep the filling from oozing out. Rolls were great with this dough recipe as well.
I’m so glad you liked it. I’ve made these many times, and the dough always works really well. 🙂
I add chopped fresh parsley to my meat mixture and a couple tablespoons of ketchup. I usually use the frozen Rhoades dinner rolls because 2 of them make the perfect rolling size but I am going to use your bread recipe next time I make them. I was transplanted to Wakeeney, Kansas in 1970 when my mom remarried and moved my two sisters and I there. I really enjoyed all the German cooking and have raised my children up to love many of them also. Bierocks is the most requested at family get togethers. Thank you for posting a well written version of this recipe. Would enjoy any others you care to share!
That sounds fun and simple, and keeping it simple is always best, IMO. I think you’ll like my dough better than the Rhodes – it’s more like the dough my grandma used to make, and it’s not so sticky and hard to work with. I’ll get some more recipes together and share them later on in the season. Let me know how yours turn out, or if you have suggestions on improving the instructions.