Cabbage & Beef Stuffed Bierocks | The Perfect Beer Snack?

I cannot find any concrete information on the origin of these delicious all-in-one snacks as some say they came from Russia, but others say they originated in Germany. The name is derived from the word ‘pirog’ which means pie in Russian.

One thing is for certain – they are delicious no matter where they came from.

Super soft and fluffy buns stuffed with fried beef, onions, cabbage, and seasoned with black pepper. That is my kind of filling. It is savoury and hearty and just calls for a cold one to be sipped alongside of it.

They will be just as good with any other beverage I should add.

This recipe makes 4 large bierocks. To make more simply multiply the ingredients.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the dough –

250g (8.8oz) white bread flour

3g (0.1oz) instant dry yeast or 3.6g (0.12oz) active dry yeast or 9g (0.31oz) fresh yeast

5g (0.17oz) salt

15g (0.5oz) sugar

1 egg, around 50g (1.75oz)

20g (0.7oz) softened butter

110g (3.9oz) cold milk*

*To learn more about dough temperature control click here.

For the filling –

200g (7oz) minced beef

50g (1.75oz) diced onion

50g (1.75oz) diced white cabbage

5g (0.17oz) salt

2g (0.07oz) ground black pepper

The flour I use has a protein content of 13%. If your flour is weaker, then you may need to lower the hydration.

If you are using active dry yeast, then you may need to let it sit in the water for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients or else it could take a lot longer to raise the dough.

If you are curious about why the dough contains butter, egg, and sugar, click the links to learn more about the effects those ingredients have on bread dough.

Method

1. Make the filling. Cook the beef on high heat with a little bit of oil for 2 minutes. Add the onions, cabbage, salt, and pepper. Mix well and keep cooking on high heat for 4 minutes stirring occasionally. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool down.
2. Make the dough. In a large bowl combine the milk, yeast, salt, sugar, and egg. Mix well to dissolve the salt and sugar and to hydrate the yeast. Add the butter and the flour. Mix to a dough.
3. Tip the dough out on the table and knead for around 5 minutes. *Desired dough temperature 25C (77F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust proofing time accordingly.
4. Cover and ferment for 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
5. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Shape lightly into rounds.
6. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
7. Fill the dough balls. *See video.
8. Place on a non-stick paper lined tray. Cover and final proof for 1 – 1.5 hours. *During this time pre-heat your oven to 160C (320F) fan on.
9. Brush the buns with milk and bake for 25 minutes.

Leave to cool down slightly and enjoy!

Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.

Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.