This bierocks recipe first caught my eye in a 2005 edition of the Cooking Light Complete Cookbook. I made it then with meat, but now I have updated the recipe so that it is whole food plant-based and low salt. The result? A heavenly “Hot Pocket” type sandwich that freezes well and meets our family’s dietary requirements deliciously!
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Best Bierocks Recipe – Low Salt and Whole Food Plant-Based, Too!
This is one of the best bierocks recipes I’ve ever found. What are bierocks? Think of them like little portable sandwiches. They are also called runzas and typically contain a soft, sweet bread wrapped around a savory filling.
Many cultures enjoy such sandwiches. Coal miners carried “pasties” in their lunch buckets; these portable meat-filled sandwiches could be heated over lamps or small fires or eaten right from the lunch pail. Today, we can purchase “Hot Pocket” sandwiches in the frozen food aisle at the supermarket. It’s the same concept.
Bierocks Recipe Vegetarian Style
Most bierocks recipes contain meat in the filling and are heavy on the salt. I cut the salt by 2/3 in this recipe without sacrificing taste and virtually eliminated the cholesterol from the filling by making it vegetarian.
Don’t cut all the salt from the bread recipe, however. Salt helps the rising process. Without salt, your bread pastry wrap will be tough, and it needs to be soft and pliable to make the little pockets.
Vegetarian Bierocks Filling
The filling in this recipe consists of shredded cabbage, onion, and carrot, cooked until soft in olive oil. That’s it. I added one tablespoon of sherry for flavor and lots of pepper and Mrs. Dash seasoning for flavor. Be sure to cook the filling first then put it in the refrigerator while you make the bread dough. The filling is easier to work with when chilled.
To make the filling:
- Shred 2 cups cabbage, 1 cup shredded carrot, and dice one onion.
- Cook in two tablespoons of olive oil until soft.
- Add dash of pepper, one tablespoon of sherry, and Mrs. Dash while cooking.
- Once soft, remove from heat, place in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate while you make the dough, below.
The bierocks are assembled and placed seam-side down on parchment paper. Then they rise for another 20 minutes before baking.
Freezing Bierocks
Freeze uneaten bierocks by wrapping them in foil and placing in a plastic bag. They keep well for 3 months or more. Unwrap and remove the foil, then microwave for 30 seconds to reheat.
I make bierocks in different sizes – the big ones are for dinner and the small ones for lunch or snacks. These are finished baking and cooling before freezing.
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King Arthur Flour – Unbleached Bread Flour, 80 Ounce (Pack of 2)
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15 minutes |
| Passive Time | 1 houe |
| Servings |
bierocks
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- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1 package dry yeast Fleischman's
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup 1% milk
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2 large Eggs
- 4 cups bread flour do not substitute any other flour -- bread flour works best!
Ingredients
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- Make the bread wrap: dissolve the sugar and yeast in warm (not hot) water in a large bowl. Let it stand for five minutes. Then, add the milk, eggs, oil, and salt. Stir gently. Add 3 1/2 cups of bread flour and stir to form a soft dough.
- Sprinkle 1/2 cup of bread flour onto a bread board. Gently turn the dough onto the board and knead for 7 minutes. The dough will be sticky so use a bit more flour if needed.
- After kneading the dough, spray cooking spray inside a clean bowl. Place the kneaded dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm, draft free area for an hour to rise.
- Punch the dough down and let it sit for five minutes after it is finished rising.
- Sprinkle flour onto the bread board. Work in small batches. Take some dough and roll it out until thin. Cut into rectangles about 4 x 6 or slightly larger if desired.
- Place chilled filling inside the center of each dough rectangle. Then bring the sides of the dough together on a diagonal, pinching until sealed.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
- Place assembled bierocks seam-side down on the parchment covered baking sheet. Let them rest and rise again for at least 20 minutes while the oven preheats.
- When all the bierocks are assembled, bake them for 15 minutes. They sound hollow when tapped which indicates they are done!
- Allow to cool at room temperature and store uneaten ones in the fridge or freezer. Unused filling can be cooked or heated and added to soup broth for a tasty soup.
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