German Bierachs Appetizer

By svohs

Bierachs are easy to make when you start with frozen roll dough. Make sure the meat and sauerkraut mixture is not liquid, otherwise the appetizers will be soggy.

Ingredients

• 1 (12-count) package of Rhodes frozen dinner rolls
• Non stick cooking spray
• 1 pounds ground beef
• 1 cups sauerkraut (I usually buy a jar instead of a can so it keeps in the fridge)
• 1 (8-ounce) package shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

Step 1

About 3-4 hours before you want to eat, take the rolls out of the freezer and place on a cookie sheet that has been lightly sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Place the rolls flat side down. Important: Take a sheet of plastic wrap and spray with non stick spray. Put the sprayed side over the rolls and cover completely so air does dry out the bread roll dough as it thaws. (Your rolls will be ruined if you don’t do this.) Let sit at room temperature for about 3 hours or until rolls are soft.

When your rolls are almost thawed, brown hamburger in a skillet, adding sauerkraut and cheese in about equal proportions. Salt and pepper generously. Let this cool – it can be made ahead and refrigerated or even frozen for another time if you have more than you need. Note: The filling needs to be dry – so you might need to strain this in a collander. If you have a lot of liquid in it (from the saukerkraut juice or hamburger), the water will make the dough goopy when you go to fill your rolls.
When rolls are thawed and soft, take a roll and flatten it with your fingers, stretching it out in your hands almost to the size of the palm of your hand. Don’t get too fussy about this - just stretch it in your hand. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the roll (as much as you can while still having some dough to pull together and make a pouch), pinching and pulling the sides of the dough around the filling to create a little “bag.” Place the stuffed roll seam side down on the cookie sheet.

When all rolls are filled, bake them at the heat setting and time suggested on the dinner roll package. Usually, this is about 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes.
These are great with chili or for football game snacks.