Thursday Recipe - Beer Rocks or Bierocks

Bierocks or Beer Rocks, as they shall henceforth be known at my house, are hot sandwiches. Sort of. They're related to Piroshky and empanadas and calzones. They're the watchagot dishes of the sandwich world.

Bierocks are German comfort food. Stretchy bread dough is wrapped around a filling of cooked hamburger, onion, and cabbage, then baked. I went untraditional because I like more flavor in my sandwich and I had bulk sausage thawed, not hamburger. These are definitely on my make-it-again list. Very tasty and not really that much work. They do take some time, but it's worth it.

(This is easier with a stand mixer or bread maker, but if you don't have either, you can make the dough by hand. It's just going to take a while to knead it smooth. Warning: I've killed several stand mixers trying to make bread. Unless yours is specifically designed for making bread, it won't be able to handle this dough. I have a Bosch and it works great. A KitchenAid with a dough hook would also work great.)

I based my recipe loosely off this recipe.

Beer Rocks or Bierocks

Dough:
1 1/2 c. warm water
3 T. powdered milk
1/4 c. butter
1 1/2 t. salt
2 1/2 c. white flour
2 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. brown sugar
4 t. yeast

Filling:
1 lb bulk sausage (just a regular flavor breakfast sausage is great)
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
1/2 t. black pepper (optional)

First, make the dough. Add everything in order listed to either a bread maker (one that can handle a 2-lb loaf and has a dough setting) or a stand mixer with a dough hook. Turn on the mixer (or start the bread maker on the dough setting) and let it run for 10 minutes. If you don't have either, dump everything except the flours in a large mixing bowl and beat together with a spoon. Add the flour and mix until it forms a soft dough. Turn it out on a floured surface and knead it for a good 10-15 minutes, until it is smooth and very elastic.

Set the dough aside and loosely cover it with a damp towel. Let it rise for about 2 hours, until it is very poufy and at least double in size.

Punch the dough down and set it aside while you make the filling.

Brown the sausage and onions in a large frying pan until the sausage is almost done and the onion is soft. Add the cabbage and cook for another 3-5 minutes, just until the cabbage wilts. Stir in the black pepper if you want it a little spicier. Remove from the heat and let it cool while you roll out the dough.

Roll out the dough into a large rectangle. It should only be about 1/4 inch thick. Take your time rolling it out. It will be stretchy but you don't want to tear holes in it. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 16 larger squares or 24 smaller squares.

Grease two large baking pans (if you went with larger squares) or two muffin tins (the larger ones that make a dozen muffins each, if you went with the smaller squares).

Put a scoop of filling on a square (1/3 c. for larger squares, 1/4 c. or less for the smaller squares). Pinch opposite corners together, then pinch the side seams to seal the filling inside. Place the roll seam side down on the baking sheet/in a muffin cup. Repeat until you run out of squares. If the filling oozes out a lot, try using a little less filling per roll.

Once you have them all filled and rolled, set them aside for 15 minutes while you pre-heat the oven to 375°F. Bake the rolls for 25 minutes (large)/ 20 minutes (muffin size).

Serve warm with plenty of mustard and pickles.