Bierocks - pocket pastries are the new hot sandwich!
Why I Love This Recipe
Adapted from the sadly defunct food blog Delicious! Delicious! bierocks are a savory meat/onion/cabbage filled pastry originating in eastern Europe. These have been jazzed up a bit for modern palates with the addition of caramelized onions and dried cranberries. These are equally yummy with vegi crumbles or other ground meat substitute.
Great recipe for doubling and freezing so that you have an easy stash of fist sized sandwiches for school or work lunches. Cooked and frozen Bierocks can simply be defrosted in a lunch and eaten as is or reheated quickly in a microwave.
Serving suggestion: Nice sharp mustard and/or sour cream!
Ingredients You'll Need
Dough:
2 1/4 tsps. dry yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
4+ cups bread flour
Filling:
1/2 medium-sized sweet onion (Walla Walla, Vidalia or Maui), sliced
1 lb. ground pork, or turkey (or vegi crumbles)
1 TB. olive oil or butter
1/2 small head of cabbage, shredded
¼ cup dried cranberries, reconstituted in warm water and drained
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm milk. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a heavy -duty mixer, combine oil, salt and eggs; add yeast mixture. Add 1 cup of flour and beat for 1 minute. Beat in 1/2 cup of flour at a time, until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.
Switch to dough hook. Knead on low speed, adding remaining flour 1 TB. at a time, until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Place dough in a well-oiled large bowl and loosely cover. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
To make filling, heat oil or butter in a heavy pan and caramelize sweet onions over low hear (45min). Turn heat up to medium-high heat. Add meat and cook until browned, stirring to crumble. Add cabbage and cook until wilted. Add cranberries and season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
Punch dough down and let rest 5 minutes.
Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a letter-sized rectangle (roughly 8 by 11) and cut each rectangle into 6 squares. Spoon 1/4 cup filling into center of each square. Bring opposite corners together at the center, pinching corners and seams to seal. Place seam side down on a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Uncover and bake until lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
Makes 12 bierocks.