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Runzas

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Runzas – a delicious and easy to make homemade bun stuffed with ground beef, cabbage, and cheese! It’s the original “Hot Pocket”.

Someone holding a Runza with the inside ingredients showing.

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Runzas

I remember my mother making Runzas (a.k.a. Bierocks) when I was growing up. To me, these were the original “Hot Pockets”. I love the idea of everything being stuffed into a handy little buttery bun. I’m guessing these originated in Germany … but I’m so glad they made their way to the Midwest where my Mom grew up – otherwise, I may have missed out on these tasty little treats!

buttery baked dough

I know some people freak out at the thought of making their own dough. Don’t let the idea of making this dough intimidate you! I pinky promise it’s not hard! You can mix it all by hand with a large bowl and a wooden spoon. However, if you have a mixer with a dough hook, this will make quick work of the dough!

overhead shot of Bierocks

Runzas – Ingredients and  Utensils Needed:

Ingredients:

FOR THE DOUGH

  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp. warm water (110-115 degrees F)
  • 1-1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
  • 3 tbsp. sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 to 2-1/4 cups bread flour

FOR THE FILLING

  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 2 cups chopped cabbage
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

FOR THE TOP

  • 2 tbsp. butter, melted

Utensils:

  • Mixing bowl
  • Wooden spoon
Bierocks on serving platter

Runzas – Instructions

  • In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar, egg, salt and 1 cup of flour; beat on low speed for about 3 minutes. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and turn once to coat the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
  • Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add cabbage, onion, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Stir in cheese. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
  • Punch down dough and divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 5-6 in. circle. Top each circle with about 1/4 cup of the filling. Fold dough over to meet in the center and pinch edges to seal.
  • Place seam-side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
  • Brush with butter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.
Ground beef and cabbage stuffed Runzas

Runzas – Questions

  • Can Runzas be made ahead and frozen?

Yes! If you’re going to freeze your Runzas, go ahead and make them all the way through baking them. Allow them to cool completely. Place them on a baking sheet in the freezer for about an hour before transferring them to freezer bags or containers. When ready to use, thaw and either bake or microwave until heated through. Be sure to use them up within 6 months.

  • Can I substitute ground turkey for the ground beef?

Absolutely, although it will change the flavor slightly. 

buttery buns stuffed with ground beef, cabbage, and cheese
German Runzas
German Bierocks
close-up of open Runza

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Runzas on a plate and one up close in someones hand
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Runzas

Runzas

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Runzas - a delicious and easy to make homemade bun stuffed with ground beef, cabbage, and cheese! It's the original “Hot Pocket”.

Ingredients

For the Dough

  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water (110-115 degrees F)
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 to 2-1/4 cups bread flour

For the Filling

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 cups chopped cabbage
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar, egg, salt and 1 cup of flour; beat on low speed for about 3 minutes. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and turn once to coat the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
  2. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add cabbage, onion, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Stir in cheese. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
  3. Punch down dough and divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 5-6 inch circle. Top each circle with about 1/4 cup of the filling. Fold dough over to meet in the center and pinch edges to seal.
  4. Place seam-side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Brush with butter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 246Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 254mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 11g

Did you make this recipe?

Did you try this recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and tag @lovebakesgoodcakes on Instagram with the hashtag #lovebakesgoodcakes so I can see what you made!

© Jamie Sherman

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Angie Mae

    My mother used to make these all the time too! It's a great, economical way to feed a lot also! (I have teenage boys) Yours look really good, thanks for sharing!!!

    Reply

  8. Evelyn

    These are just too cool:) Little pockets full of surprise foodies. I just have to try these. Thank you so very much for linking up to Freedom Fridays!

    Reply

  11. Six Sisters

    These look SO yummy! We've never tried runzas, so we're excited to give them a go! Thanks for sharing your ideas on "Strut Your Stuff" Saturday! We hope to see you again! -The Sisters

    Reply

  12. Patti

    Hi Jamie! Hopping on over from Recipes for my Boys! I'm always looking for authenic eastern european recipes being a Polish girl. These look and sound delish. Bookmarking! Your newest follower!

    Reply

  15. Anonymous

    These are definitely a German recipe. The full name is Kraut Runza's. My German mother-in-law taught me how to make them. I roll the dough out in squares, then put the filling on top, and bring the corners up and pinch the dough together. Thus they look like a shirt "pocket." Kraut is cabbage, and Runza means pocket in German. Thus we call them cabbage pockets in English. A family favorite of all 5 children, 11 grandkids, & 4 greatgrandkids.

    Reply

  18. Carrie

    I miss these…Mom used frozen bread dough and canned sauerkraut when making these. Dad LOVINGLY referred to them as "gut bombs" and still to this day that is what we call them.

    Reply

  20. Cheryl Foster

    I grew up in a Germans-from-Russia town in Northwest Oklahoma. The ladies there made a similar dough, but rolled it out into a large rectangle and then cut into squares. The filling didn’t have cheese, just meat, onions and cabbage – as I recall. As a little girl one of my biggest joys was helping spoon the filling onto the squares and then pinching the corners and seams. The pan was a large oiled sheet pan, and we placed the filled squares smooth side down first to oil the top and then turned them over before baking so that the tops were shiny and browned.

    I’ll have to try your recipe – cheese makes everything better!

    Reply

  21. Pjean

    I learned to make these from my Mom, but she used ground sausage. I will have to try yours with ground beef and cheese. They really look good.

    Reply

  22. Sherrye

    My German heritage mother made these when I was growing up, although I remember the spelling as burrucks. There wasn’t cheese in them, she used garlic powder, and the cabbage and hamburger were much finer in texture than these. I used to cut them in half and put a little mayo on mine. The smell of these yeast rolls baking was heavenly!

    Reply

    • Jamie

      You can use all-purpose flour as well. It will slightly change the chew and crispiness of the bread – but not so much so that it is a big deal.

      Reply

  25. Susan Mayer

    This dough was so easy to make and turned out so good! Light and soft, and browned so nicely when it baked. A real keeper!

    Reply

  26. Dee

    So good. I use this dough for any filling now. The dough is the best. As long as the filling is not to wet. Make a bunch and freeze. I use all purpose flour.

    Reply

  27. Kay

    I grew up on these. My grandparents immigrated from Germany, so we ate quite a bit of German food growing up. My mom came to spend a week taking care of me after an extensive surgery. She made me so many of these to put in my freezer. They are a quick, easy to go to meal and heat up fine after being frozen. I think it’s time to make more of these.

    Reply

  28. BBG-Jim

    Great recipe. I’m on my 4th dozen. The dough is very bland and not as airy as I’d like. This 4th time I have added a Mediterranean salt blend to the water and yeast. I’m also going to cut the number of portions down to 10 as opposed to 12 making the rolled out dough thicker in hopes in will produce a more fluffy bread.

    Reply

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Love Bakes Good Cakes delivers delicious and simple family-friendly meals. Find everything from healthier recipes to over the top desserts!