bierrocks from More with Less cookbook & another

I have no idea how I came upon this cookbook as a young adult.  Was it a family member's that I liked and gifted to me?  My father's family are from a church very closely related to Mennonites, so that sounds plausible.

Anyway, my dietary world was shaped by More with Less, Diet and Recipes for a Small Planet, Laurel's Kitchen, and Moosewood.  I know I can find just about everything on line and I've long since gotten rid of most books, but I'm thinking of rebuying these.

I bought a big head of cabbage at the farmer's market and for some reason I started to crave these bierrocks, which are handpies with yeast dough, ground beef, and cabbage.  They freeze up well and are very satisfying.  So, it's a long weekend project.

Bierrocks 

Dough:

2 c. warm water 
2 pkg. dry yeast 
1/4 c. sugar 
1 1/2 t. salt 
1 egg 
1/4 c. oil or butter 
6-6 1/2 c. flour 

Meat mixture: 

1 1/2 lb. beef 
1/2 c. onion 

Remaining ingredients:

3 c. cabbage, finely cut 
1 1/2 t. salt 
1/2 t. pepper 
Dash Tabasco sauce 
Minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and smoke flavoring, optional 

Chill dough for several hours and prepare as for roll dough (or substitute frozen dough). 
Brown beef and onion in a skillet and add remaining ingredients. Cover skillet and continue 
cooking over low heat, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender. Do not add liquid. 
Cool slightly. Roll out dough into thin sheets. Cut in 5-inch squares. Place 2 T. meat 
mixture on each square, pinch edges together, and place pinched side down on greased 
cookie sheet. Let rise 15 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. 

This recipe 
is from the More-with-Less Cookbook (Doris Janzen Longacre, Herald Press, c 1976).

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This is another version that I found when looking for a recipe for ground bison. 

I find it amusing that they refer to salt and pepper as "spices" - but that shows it's authentic.

Nebraska Bison Stuffers

A classic Nebraska recipe, usually passed down in families, with a bison spin. Though more labor intensive, then many of our recipes, well worth the payoff.

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Ingredients:
2 lbs. Ground Bison
1 small onion, chopped
6 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
cheese slices, optional (I would never use cheese slices, but this is a Midwestern recipe)

Dough:
2 pkg. dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups warm water
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup melted margarine
6 1/2 cups flour

Directions:
Mix water, yeast, sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Add beaten egg and margarine. Stir in flour and refrigerate for 4 hours in a covered bowl.

Once dough is ready, brown ground bison and onion. Drain. Add cabbage, seasonings and water. Simmer for 20 minutes. Cool.

Take a small amount of dough and roll into a thin layer. Fill with filling. Bring each side of dough up over the filling and pinch sides together to create a seal. Place on a cookie sheet - seam side down. Repeat until dough and mixture are used up.

Cook for 18-20 minutes at 350* F.

This made about three baking sheets worth, with four rolls made of leftover filling.