Authentic bierocks are a beloved German comfort food packed with savoury flavours. These cabbage buns are filled with a delicious mixture of seasoned beef, tender cabbage, and onions, all wrapped up in a soft, homemade dough.
While this recipe is a bit of a labour of love, ultimately bierocks are easy to make and perfect for any occasion. This has been a traditional recipe in our family and I have been making authentic homemade bierocks since I was a little girl.
Jump to:
Bierocks or cabbage buns use pantry staple, easy-to-find ingredients, and can be easily made vegetarian, too! They are perfect little buns filled with a simple beef and cabbage mixture and then baked until they are golden brown.
Looking for more well-loved family recipes? Check out my classic hamburger soup and grandma's perfect butter tarts recipes, too!
If it's warm sandwich recipes you love then you have to check out my crunchwrap recipe and my homemade french dip sandwiches with au jus!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Traditional German bierocks are incredibly delicious and most popular with the Volga German community.
- These savory little buns can be prepared and frozen, and are easily reheated for a delicious lunch or snack.
- Bierocks are made with easy-to-find, pantry staple ingredients.
- Bierocks can also be referred to as "runza" or the more Americanized version "cabbage buns".
Summarize and Save This Recipe Using:
Ingredients for Bierocks
A full ingredient list for bierocks with the exact quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Modifications and Substitutions
- Vegetarian Bierocks- replace the ground beef with plant-based ground beef or veggie ground. These can both be easily found at your local grocery store.
- Cheese - for added delicious flavor, add your favourite shredded sharp cheese into the cabbage mixture. Swiss, Provolone or Gruyere are good options. Add the shredded cheese after the cabbage mixture has cooled, right before filling the buns.
- Store Bought Dough - although I highly recommend making the recipe for the homemade dough, you can use store-bought, premade dough instead!
Homemade Dough
Does making homemade bread from scratch scare you?
I get it. It took me many years in the kitchen before I became comfortable preparing yeast doughs.
Once you learn how to use yeast properly, it opens so many possibilities in the kitchen. (Hello, homemade no knead bread, bakery-style cinnamon rolls recipe with cream cheese frosting, and the best flour tortillas!)
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
See the FAQ's below for more information on baking with active dry yeast and how to use it properly.
How To Make Bierocks
The Bread Dough
- Step 1: Into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the lukewarm milk (100°F-105°F), butter, sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the eggs and water and stir. Sprinkle the active dry yeast on top and stir slightly. Let the yeast bloom, untouched for 10 minutes. When the yeast has bloomed it will be puffy and frothy, and look like the picture above.
- Step 2: One cup at a time, add 5 ½ cups of flour beating on low speed until a sticky dough forms. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead in the remaining cup of flour by hand. Grease a large glass bowl with olive oil and add the dough, turning to lightly coat the dough in oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 ½ hours.
To knead the dough, use one hand to grab the ball of dough, and use the heel of your hand to push the dough away from you. Gather the dough and move it forward and repeat. Knead the dough for 7-8 minutes, until all of the flour has been incorporated and the dough springs back when lightly poked.
Cabbage Filling for Bierocks
- Step 3: For the bierock filling, in a large skillet, add the ground beef, and cook until it is fully browned. Do not drain. Add the garlic, cumin, pepper and salt. Stir to combine and cook for an additional minute. Add the water and thinly chopped green cabbage, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Step 4: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375°F. After the dough has doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap and punch it down. This releases the carbon dioxide that forms during the rise time and forms strands of gluten in the bread.
Assembling the Bierocks (Cabbage Buns)
- Step 5: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in half.
- Step 6: Working with one half at a time, divide the dough into 6 equal sized pieces. Using your hands, flatten the dough pieces out into circles that are 5-6" in diameter. Repeat with the second half of dough.
- Step 7: Fill the dough with about ½ cup of the bierock filling.
- Step 8: Gather the sides and pinch the bottom together to create a sealed bun.
- Step 9: Place the bierock bun sealed side down on the baking sheet and repeat steps 7-8 until all of the cabbage buns are filled with filling.
- Step 10: Bake the bierocks for 22-24 minutes, until they are golden brown. After the buns have completed baking, brush the tops with the melted butter and serve.
Expert Bread Tip
Creating the right environment for your dough to rise is important!
If the weather is warm or it is warm in your house, the counter is a good place to let the dough rise.
In the cooler months you can use your oven to create a warm environment for your bread dough to rise in. Some ovens have a "bread proof" mode, if your oven does, great! If yours doesn't have that mode, turn on the oven light and place the bowl in the oven to rise. The heat from the light will help create a warm enough environment for your bread to rise.
Bierock Dipping Sauce Options
While not traditional, some optional serving dips for bierocks can include, ketchup, dijon mustard, soy sauce, or caesar dressing. Personally I love dipping warm bierocks in soy sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Blooming the yeast means that you are activating the active dry yeast and getting it ready to use in a recipe. This is done by feeding the yeast with sugar and saturating it with a lukewarm liquid (typically milk or water).
Once the yeast has bloomed and all of the other ingredients are incorporated, the dough has to rest for a while. This is called the "rise time" and the dough will more than double in size.
During the rise time there is a chemical reaction that takes place, where the sugar reacts with the yeast and creates little air pockets all throughout the bread. This is how the gluten is formed, and what causes the bread to be pillowy soft and puffy.
Live yeast will bloom and look puffy and frothy in the liquid during the blooming time. If it does not look like this, it is dead and you will need to start over with new liquid, sugar and yeast.
There are a few reasons yeast can die;
- It could just be old. Yes, active dry yeast has a shelf life. It is best stored in a dry container and kept in the fridge.
- If the liquid that you are using to bloom the yeast is too warm, it will kill the yeast. The liquid should not be over 110°F when the yeast is added to it.
Dead yeast can not be used in a recipe. It will not activate and rise the bread. Ultimately, you'll be left with a brick of baked dough. Not what we're after. So if your yeast is not puffy or frothy after the blooming time, discard it and start over with new yeast.
Leftover bierocks can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or zip top bag for up to 3 days.
To reheat, place the bierocks in the microwave for 1 ½ minutes, or until they are heated thoroughly.
Yes!
To freeze, fully prepare and bake the bierocks. Allow them to cool completely. Wrap them each separately in plastic wrap and place them into a zip top bag and freeze.
Bierocks can be frozen for up to 4 months.
Reheat frozen bierocks in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes, until heated through.
What to Serve with Bierocks
📖 Recipe
Bierocks (Cabbage Buns)
↑ click the stars to rate this recipe ↑
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Bread Dough
- 2 cups Whole Milk heated to 100-105°F
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ cup Water lukewarm
- 2 Eggs beaten
- 2 ¼ teaspoons Active Dry Yeast one package
- 6 ½ cups All Purpose Flour + ~½ cup, for rolling the dough
- ½ teaspoon Olive Oil to grease the bowl
- 2 Tablespoons Butter melted (for brushing on the buns)
Hamburger Filling
- 1 lb Lean Ground Beef
- 8 cups Green Cabbage thinly chopped
- 4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ⅔ cup Water
Instructions
Bun Dough
- In a small saucepan add the milk and using a thermometer, heat the milk to 100°F-105°F. Take care to not overheat the milk, if it is too hot it will kill the yeast.
- Fit a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment and pour the heated milk into the bowl. Add the butter, sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, this will take about 2 minutes. Add the water and eggs into the mixing bowl and stir to just combine.
- Sprinkle the yeast on top of the mixture and slightly stir. Let the yeast bloom for 10 minutes, until it is puffy and frothy.
- A few cups at a time, add 5 ½ cups of the flour beating on low speed until a sticky dough forms.
- Transfer the sticky dough to a large flat surface and knead in the remaining 1 cup of flour by hand. Knead for 7-8 minutes, until all of the flour has been incorporated and the dough springs back when poked.
- Lightly grease a large glass bowl with olive oil and transfer the dough into the greased bowl. Turn the dough ball over in the bowl to fully coat in oil.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place* for 1 ½ hours.
Cabbage Filling
- In a large deep skillet, add the ground beef and cook over medium-high until fully browned. Do not drain.
- Add the minced garlic, cumin, pepper and salt. Stir to combine and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the water and thinly chopped green cabbage, cover with a tight fitting lid. Stirring occasionally, cook until the cabbage has wilted, about 15 minutes. All of the water should be evaporated by this point. If it has not, remove the lid and cook for an additional few minutes until the water has evaporated.
- Remove the cabbage mixture from the heat and set aside to cool.
Assembling the Bierocks (Cabbage Buns)
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375°F.
- After the dough has completed it's rise time, remove the plastic wrap and punch it down a couple of times. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half.
- Working with one half at a time, divide the dough half into 6 equal sized pieces. Repeat with the second half.
- Using your hands, flatten the dough pieces out into circles that are 5-6" in diameter.
- Fill the dough with ⅓ - ½ cup of the filling, gather the sides, and pinch the ends together to create a sealed bun.
- Place buns sealed side down on the lined baking sheet and repeat until all of the cabbage buns are made.
- Bake the cabbage buns for 22-24 minutes, until golden brown. Brush the tops of the cabbage buns with the melted butter and serve.
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Notes
- If your liquid is too hot it can kill your active dry yeast. If the yeast does not appear bubbly and frothy after the blooming time, your yeast might be dead and it is best to start over with new yeast.
- You can use store-bought dough in place of making your own from scratch.
- To make this recipe vegetarian, replace the ground beef with plant-based ground beef or veggie ground.
- Leftover bierocks can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator and it will vary based on the ingredients that you use.
Victoria says
Hi can I make the Bierocks without the 2 tablespoons of sugar without it affecting the dough too much or at all? I want my son to be able to eat them and we currently don’t feed him added sugar since he’s too little right now. Thank you!!
Jessica says
Hi Victoria,
The sugar helps activate and feed the yeast in the dough to make it rise and I have not tested the recipe without sugar in the dough. As an alternative you can use maple syrup or honey, you can also decrease the amount to just a couple of teaspoons.
Rebecca Jacobs says
How can I convert this to a sourdough starter instead of yeast?
Jessica says
Hi Rebecca, I have not tested this recipe using a sourdough starter. The basic conversion is 100g of active sourdough starter per 1 pkg of commercial yeast. Another thing that you will have to adjust is the longer rising times required for sourdough. All that being said, it should work! Please let me know if you try it and how they turn out!
Jessica
Pam says
Made these today and 100% happy and hubby approved. I used purple cabbage and a lot of other spices and egg wash with water on top before going in. Delish! Wouldn’t let me post a photo but have been making them for years, (just usually using frozen Parker house rolls in the midwest), and various recipe changes. Thanks!
Lori Jacobs says
what is the best way to reheat these?
Jessica says
Hi Lori,
The microwave or oven reheat these well! For the microwave heat in 30 second intervals until fully warmed, I find it takes around 1 minute 30 seconds. For the oven, heat at 325C for about 10 minutes.