Runzas – a delicious and easy to make homemade bun stuffed with ground beef, cabbage, and cheese! It’s the original “Hot Pocket”.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full Disclosure Policy for details.
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!
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!
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
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.
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.
Other recipes you may enjoy
Runzas
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
- 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 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.
- 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
These look yummy! It reminds me of a philly cheese steak sort of.
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. 🙂
xoxo,
Melissa
Those photo's made my mouth water…mmmmmm…
Thanks Debra! 🙂
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!!!
Thanks for stopping by! We have one teenage boy …. I can't imagine it being plural 🙂
Found you on Lady Behind the Curtain. I have wanted to make these for years! Your recipe looks delicious – definitely need to give them a try.
Thanks for stopping by Louanne! Stop back by and let me know how you liked them 🙂
When they opened a Runza in our town there was much rejoicing! Of course they are better home made. Your may of baking the cheese right in looks divine.
These looks yummy! Thanks for sharing 🙂
That looks really good! I have to try it. I have a thing for meat pockets. My oldest daughter would love this too.
Thanks for stopping by Kate! I hope your family enjoys them 🙂
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!
Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy them 🙂
I LOVE runzas! I make mine a little differently, but these seem awesome too!
Thanks for stopping by Sarah 🙂 I would love to know how you make yours!
I have never had runzas before, they look really good! Thanks for sharing at Showcase Your Talent Thursday!
Thanks Alyssa!
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
Thanks Sisters! If you try them, stop back by and let me know how you liked them 🙂
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!
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
This look amazing! I know they must be delicious with everything tucked away inside. I'd probably cheat and use frozen dough. 😀 Thank you for sharing on Thursday's Treasures Week 35. Hope to see you again next Thursday. <3 and hugs! http://www.recipesformyboys.com/2012/05/thursdays-treasures-week-35.html
Hey Debi! I've "cheated" before by using frozen bread dough. Nothing wrong with that 🙂 I'll see you next week!
My fella loves anything that comes in a bread pocket! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I'm pinning it for future reference.
You're welcome, Aunt B! 🙂 I'm so glad you like it!
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.
Thank you! They are so tasty and unbelievably easy to make!
Ohhh I love Runzas! I wrote a post on these a while ago too. It's the Dwarfs favorite 🙂 Your filling and dough is just a teeny bit different by like, two ingredients 🙂 These look delicious!
Yum! I love Bierocks! Your recipe sounds delicious!!
I havent had a Bierock in a long time!
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.
I think I am going to try, they look yummy!
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!
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.
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!
These sound amazing! I don’t have bread flour, is there a way to use regular all purpose flour?
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.
Delicious
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!
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.
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.
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.