Is it a bierock or a runza? Or maybe a hand pie or a pasty? I even got giant pierogi when I asked in an informal poll of my friends and family. I know them as bierocks, but my mom and my aunts insist that they are runzas. Apparently, there is some controversy.

There was no controversy that my mom and aunts all remember making these with their mom and I have fond memories of it as well, so it must be important food for us. My grandmother made these and I remember helping with them sometimes — but mostly, I remember eating them after school. Sometimes we would warm them up in the microwave, but usually I would eat them cold out of the fridge with a little ketchup. They made a great snack while busy or away from home.

It is interesting to me how things that have different names from different cultures and time periods can be so similar. These bierocks are different from the empanadas I had in Spain or the sausage rolls in Ireland, and they are probably even a little different from my grandmother’s, but they all are made of similar things and for similar purposes. For my husband and me, it is so that we have an easy portable lunch or snack in a busy schedule. As a person who has had the privilege to work with people from all over the world, I believe we can all find commonalities while celebrating our diversity and ourselves as individuals. Food is just one reflection of this.

I never remember my grandmother calling them anything. That doesn’t mean that she didn’t, I just don’t remember. I also don’t remember how I learned the word bierock. But it stands to the endurance of food in collective memory that I knew how to make them. If you find yourself wanting food that is easy to carry that includes some bread and meat and made with love, maybe make some bierocks — or whatever you might call them.

BIEROCKS

SERVES 12

FOR THE CRUST

1½ cup bread flour

1½ cup whole wheat flour

4 Tbsp ground flaxseed

1½ cup warm (not hot) water

2 tsp yeast (one packet)

¼ cup olive oil

1 egg, slightly beaten

Additional egg for egg wash

Additional flour for rolling out bread

1. Activate the yeast in the warm water for five minutes. It needs to be slightly warmer than room temperature but not too hot so as not to kill the yeast.

2. Combine flours and flaxseed in a bowl, then add wet ingredients and mix well. Knead dough until it sticks to itself and bounces back slightly when pressed with a fingertip. Let rise in a warm area until double in size.

3. Cut into 12 equal pieces, roll to about ¼ inch and fill with filling. I use a very large ramekin to lay the dough down, fill and seal the dough. This helps keep the shape and size consistent.

4. Place seam side down on a lined and prepared cookie sheet (using oil or parchment paper). Brush with egg wash and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 40-45 minutes.

FOR THE FILLING

Make this while the dough is rising.

2 Tbsp oil to sauté with

1½ pounds lean ground beef

1 large onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

8 cups shredded raw cabbage (about half a medium to large cabbage)

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp caraway seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups shredded cheese to sprinkle in as you’re filling the dough, if desired (I opt for no cheese)

1. Sauté onions, garlic and ground beef until beef is brown in oil, drain if needed.

2. Add cabbage and caraway seeds and sauté until cabbage is cooked.

3. Add other ingredients, stir to combine evenly, and let cool slightly until dough is ready.

FOR THE SAUCE

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp paprika

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Pepper if desired

Originally published in the Fall 2024 issue of Spoke+Blossom.

Bierocks For The Back-To-School Rush

BIEROCKS