HOW TO BAKE FOOTBALL BEIROCKS (LOVE IT TO LEARN)

Football Beirocks are going to be the true MVP’s of your game day celebration buffet. What hungry, energetic crowd could pass up a hand-held pocket of meat, cheese and sauerkraut all wrapped up in a delicious and filling pastry? My goal with these tasty treats is to be able to get them onto plates (or at least a platter) before they are snatched off the pan. It hasn’t happened yet. You’re going to love them!

*If you make these for a party, I would LOVE to see photos on The Bread Geek Facebookpage! Post and share!

FOR THE DOUGH

Any bread dough recipe will work for these pastries, but recipes with eggs and milk likeNaturally Leavened Brioche Dough are fluffier. As a general rule when determining yield for these, you will get 3 Football Beirocks for every 1 cup of flour used in the dough.

Dough should be mixed, risen, and ready for shaping.

FOR THE FILLING

1/3 cup chopped onion (for cooking with meat)

1 lb. ground beef/turkey or shredded meat

Optional Add-ins* (cooked with the meat):

• 1 carrot, finely grated
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 1 zucchini, finely grated

1 cup sauerkraut (or more)

1-2 cups shredded cheese

*I use all of these together to stretch the meat and add nutrition and flavor.

ROLLING, STUFFING AND SHAPING

• Brown onions in a pan, then add ground meat (and any seasonings or added veggies you would like) and cook until done. Grate cheese,  get out sauerkraut.
• Roll your dough out to 1/4 inch thickness
• Cut rolled dough into 4-inch squares by cutting lines spaced 4 inches apart horizontally and vertically
• Place 1/8 cup total filling in the center of each square.
• Take two opposite corners of dough and fold them into the center, one slightly overlapping the other. Repeat.
• Pinch open edges to seal shut.

You have now made a traditional German Beirock. You could stop here, but we’re not making any ol’ Beirocks, we’re making Football Beirocks! So this is where our creativity kicks it up a notch.

CREATING THE FOOTBALL BEIROCKS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Take your neatly folded Beirock and gently fold and press two opposite dough corners in so those corners become round. Be careful not to pull the dough or it will tear and your stuffing will fall out.
• Flip pastry smooth-side up, and pat any uneven sides to get the right football shape.

• Place on parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Prepare egg wash: Lightly beat one egg and 1 tablespoon of water in a small dish.
• Take dough remnants and roll them out into “snakes”.
• For each Football Beirock, cut one long section for the “seam”(slightly longer than the pastry) and 3 small pieces for the “stitches”.

• Brush pastries with egg wash.
• Place decorative pieces on pastries.
• Brush decorated Football Beirocks with a final egg wash, and put them in the oven!
• Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Just looking at all these delicious photos is making me drool! Every time we eat these I wonder, “why don’t I make these more often?!” and my family wonders the same thing. And here is another great thing about Football Beirocks: If you know you won’t have much baking time on Game Day, bake them ahead and freeze them. 30 minutes before game time, defrost them for a few minutes and throw them back in the oven (350 degrees) to heat them back up. No one will ever know they were “reheated!”

Need another tasty treat to go with your Football Beirocks? Try these awesome Spicy Buffalo Meatballs from Linda Loosli at Food Storage Moms!