Kraut bread (or kraut buns)

8 -10

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 pounds Ground meat - preferably lamb (up to 3)
¼ cup Flour
2 larges Onions, sliced lengthwise
2 cups Well drained sauerkraut
½ teaspoon Caraway seed (up to 2)
¼ teaspoon Dill seed
2 tablespoons Quality prepared mustard (I like Dijon)
Canned mushrooms to taste - highly optional
Fresh or thawed, frozen bread dough for a 2 pound loaf of bread

Directions

Source: Ron Parker inspired by Ara Johnson of Elk Mountain, Wyoming Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use a baking stone if you have one.

Fry and crumble meat in a frying pan until moisture is gone. Drain any excess fat (and complain to your butcher if there is any!). Sprinkle flour over crumbly meat and stir until it coats the meat. Add onion and kraut, and fry on low to medium heat while stirring. When mixture is dry, remove from heat and stir in caraway seed, dill seed, and mustard. Drained, canned mushroom bits and pieces can be added as desired.

On a floured work surface, roll out bread dough to about a 1 foot by 2 foot oval. Brush center (not edges) with oil or solid shortening. Spread *cool* meat mixture down the center. Fold the ends inward, pinching the dough together where it touches other dough. Then fold the sides up and pinch together to make a wavy ridge down the top line. You can pinch together in many creative ways of course. I prefer to not puncture the loaf top with a fork, but if you like that, what not? Transfer to a bakers peel or cookie sheet, either one covered with corn meal. Let rest for 10-15 minutes. Slide onto baking stone in oven, or, put whole cookie sheet in oven, or, transfer the original stuffed loaf to an oval baking dish and put it in the oven after a brief rest. All ways work.

Bake until the outer crust is golden brown - about 30 minutes, but ovens are individuals. When it looks right, it probably is right. For serving, use a bread knife with a serrated or wavy cutting edge to reduce breaking up of the top of the crust. If in a baking dish, score the top with the bread knife, then use a wide spatula to cut the bottom parts, and to serve pieces

Alternate: Divide the bread dough into smaller pieces and make individual piroshki of the size that suits you - making kraut buns. The buns are wonderful finger food for a trip or a picnic. They also freeze well for refreshing in an oven or eating at room temp. I like to spread a bit more mustard on either the bread slices or buns before eating. When travelling, the mustard can be injected inside the buns with one of those plastic containers with a snout on it to reduce the mess. By the way, the buns travel very well for a 1-2 day trip with no refrigeration, because they are sealed containers that were baked hot enough to kill any microorganisms that could case trouble. Don't leave then in the sun or a closed car in the sun - needless to say.

Posted to JEWISH-FOOD digest V97 #037 by Ron Parker <rbparker@...> on Jan 31, 1997.

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