Cheesy Breakfast Bierocks / Runzas (2024)

After making traditional German Runzas (a.k.a “Bierocks”), and having a little dough left over, I made some killer Breakfast Bierocks that my hubby liked even better than the originals!

He loved them so much, that I’ve decided to figure out the recipe for you to be able to make a full batch! This amount should make around 12. Although you may be able to get one or two more.

If you end up with a little extra dough, make a dinner roll! If you end up with a little extra filling, I bet it would be terrific in an omelet! No harm, no foul. Just have fun with this!

You simply just thaw the bread dough loaves the night before in the fridge. Spray them and wrap them each with plastic wrap first, though, so that they don’t dry out.

Then the next morning, cook your sausage with the *cabbage and onions, chopping up the sausage into small pieces as you go. Drain the grease (save for gravy if you’d like), and add butter and stir to melt. Then add a little salt and pepper to taste. (*Make sure that you shred the cabbage very thinly so that it gets nice and tender.) Cover it and set it aside. (After sneaking a few more bites. To taste-test…ya know.)

Like I always say, “Those who do the work get the perks!”

In a second large frying pan, make your scrambled eggs, adding salt and pepper as you normally like. Then cover and set aside, too.

Preheat your oven and spray 2 baking sheets.

And now the fun begins!

Slice one loaf into 6 equal slices. Take one dough disk (wrapping the rest back up so the dough doesn’t dry out), and place it onto a wooden cutting board. Starting from the center, push it out just like you were making a pizza, into a 6 inch round circle. *Don’t flour the board. You need it to stick a little so that you aren’t chasing the dough around and getting nowhere!

**If needing more photos of how to do this, please refer to my previous post for Easier State Fair Runza Rolls.

Then place a half of a slice of American cheese, torn in half, onto the center of the dough round overlapping a little. Add a scoop, about a 1/3 of a cup, of the meat filling, then a 12th of the scrambled eggs. (*If you dump the scrambled eggs into a rectangular pan, draw a knife through down the center long ways, then across 6 times, it’s a good guesstimate of a 12th. Easy-peasy!!)

It works out to be one scrambled egg per roll.

Then tear the other half of your slice of cheese in half and place that on top, overlapping the pieces a little.

Almost there!!!!

Next, start pulling the sides of the dough up and over the top, a little at a time, overlapping all the way around. Pinch a little to seal, then place onto your prepared baking sheet seam side down. Baste with butter and keep going with the rest making one sheet of 6 at a time.

When oven is fully preheated, pop the first sheet into the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes until golden browned. Remove the rolls to a cooling rack and baste with more butter.

At this point, you can make a second sheet of them, or hold everything until tomorrow and make a second batch later! *No need to pre-warm the meat filling or the scrambled eggs the next day! They will get hot just fine when they bake.

Though my hubby wanted, “Just these and nothing else with them!”, you could certainly use the reserved grease and make my Peppered White Country Gravy or Ragin’ Cajun Pepper Gravy for dipping!

These would also be nice served with a branch of seedless red grapes and fresh orange slices, fried potatoes or *tater tots (*which would be fun to dip, too!), and of course, coffee, coffee, coffee!!!

My hubby absolutely LOVED these!! He had a smile so wide he looked like he was eatin’ a banana sideways!! Best compliment a cook can get!

These tasty li’l Cheesy Breakfast Bierocks (a.k.a. “Runzas”) not only make for a super fun family breakfast, (or supper, if you too, love breakfast food for dinner!!), but also makes for a wonderful dish to serve at a brunch party!

So save or Pin this for safe keeping, because you’rereeeaallllly gonna wanna make these! Hope these bring morning smiles by the miles! Enjoy!

Yield: 12 - 14 filled rolls

Ingredients

For Meat Filling:

• 1 lb. spicy/hot breakfast (or Italian) sausage
• 1/4 of a small head of cabbage, outer leaves removed, cored, shredded and chopped
• 1 medium or small onion, chopped (as you like)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tbl. butter, cut up

Rest of Ingredients:

• 12 eggs, whisked, then scrambled with salt and pepper as you like
• 12 slices of American cheese, cut into fourths
• 2 loaves frozen bread dough, thawed overnight
• 1 stick butter, melted

Instructions

*The night before, spray frozen bread dough loaves with butter-flavored cooking spray (I use Crisco's), and wrap each tightly with plastic wrap. Place into fridge to thaw overnight.

The next morning, add sausage, cabbage and onion to a large frying pan. Sauté over medium heat breaking up sausage into small pieces as you go along. Drain grease, add and stir in butter, salt and pepper to taste. Cover, and set aside.

In another large frying pan, add a little butter if needed, and add whisked eggs. Add salt and pepper as you normally enjoy, and cook until scrambled, stirring. When cooked, cover and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Spray 2 baking sheets with butter flavored no-stick spray (I really like Crisco's the best), and set aside.

Cut first loaf into 6 slices, remove one slice and keep the rest wrapped so they don't dry out. Place one dough disk onto wooden cutting board, and press out, starting from the center and working your way to the edge (just like making a pizza), into a 5 1/2 - 6 inch round circle.

Place 1/2 of a slice of American cheese (torn in half) in the center, then top with a mound (about a ⅓ cup) of the meat mixture. Top with a small scoop of scrambled eggs. (*If you dump the scrambled eggs into a rectangular pan, draw a knife through down the center long ways, then across 6 times, it's a guesstimate of a 12th. It equals out to be one egg per roll. Easy-peasy!!) Top the eggs with the other half of the slice of cheese, torn in half. Bring up the sides, a bit at a time, pulling up and over the top, overlapping with each bit. (Just like you were making a Chinese dumpling or "crunchwrap".) Pinch a little to seal, and place seam side down onto your prepared baking sheet. Brush with melted butter. Continue with rest of loaf making 6 stuffed rolls.

Pop the sheet into the oven and bake for 25 - 30 minutes until golden. Remove from oven, then remove rolls from sheet and place onto a cooling rack. Baste with more melted butter.

Make a second batch with the second loaf and rest of ingredients. (*You can make these the next day if you'd like.) *If making the second day, you don't have to warm the meat mixture or the scrambled eggs. (Or make the eggs fresh that day. They cook quickly.)

Let cool just a little, then slice in half with a serrated knife, and serve with gravy for dipping if desired. These are fantastic just as is, though!