This is another German dish that was in my family. My father and I sadly were never close and we was never friends. He had his moments which was very rare that he wasn’t my stepmom’s puppet. This recipe came about from when we were talking briefly. We was talking about his mother who was the best cook in the family. This was her dish she made and it was awesome according to him and one of my cousins.
I had a hard life because of him and the bad decisions he made. I am also a child abuse survivor but this is not a blog about my abuse and how I overcame it but it took me a long time because my side of my family is a very strange one and i don’t talk to too many people from there, that is my mother’s people included. Allhumduallah i am still here and I am surviving.
Through this very short period I was asking what did my grandmother put in here what were the spices , although I
have kind of embellished it.
This is a dish with some work but when it is done it is really lovely because of all the love and care as you are making this dish.
Equipment needed: cookie sheet, parchment paper or aluminum foil, rolling pin, steamer, cast iron skillet, I use a huge tray to keep the surface clean because the dough is the yeast dough.
Preheat your oven to 375ºF= 190.6ºC.
Dough ingredients: I use all purpose unbleached flour (maida) always.
I never use measuring spoons or measuring cups even though i have them. 5 handfuls of all purpose flour.
A packet of dry yeast.
A pinch of baking powder.
A pinch of salt.
A pinch of turbinado sugar.
1/2 cup of water or enough to make the dough you want dough not pancake and waffle batter.
1 tbs of olive oil.
Filling ingredients:
Cabbage, if you have a large head of cabbage use half of it or if a small one half of a head. It has to be green cabbage.
1 onion.
A pinch of salt or to taste.
A pinch of black pepper or to taste.
1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce.
1 clove of garlic.
1 bay leaf.
1 pinch of thyme.
1 pinch of marjoram.
1 pinch of rosemary.
1 lb or 1 kilo Ground beef. 1 pat of Butter for every kraut brot before being folded
Method:
First make the dough by combining all of the dry ingredients together first. Use enough water a little at a time until you have a dough. When the dough is formed pour a little olive oil on the dough and kneed it for about 4 minutes. This keeps the dough nice and elastic and it shouldn’t stick to your hands or the bowl, by the way you need to take your rings off for this part because you are going to kneed this dough very well and clean hands too. I always wash my hands before i handle food. The oil on the dough keeps the dough from drying out too as well and when you are done kneading, cover the bowl and put it in a warm area of your kitchen like direct sunlight on a sunny day. The yeast will now have a chance to help the dough to rise, note: the sugar helps activate the yeast and i used turbinado sugar. If it helps use your microwave oven as a kitchen timer it works well for me.
Set it to 30 minutes. It should rise by then this is what i call the first rising of the dough. After it has risen, punch and knead the dough. I was on my instagram earlier and one of my friends I have known for a very long time and i know her family too said she was looking for a new cabbage recipe she loves to cook too. So in a way this recipe is also a request.
Set the timer on microwave again for another 30 minutes to let it rise for a second time.
While this is resting again make the filling.
Filling method: Cut the green cabbage in tiny pieces because this helps cook faster and steam the cabbage, this should take 30 minutes.
Take a cast iron skillet use oil and fry the onion and garlic , combine the seasonings and the worchestshire sauce, mix and then add the ground beef and cook it till it gets done. The seasonings are rosemary, bay leaf, thyme, marjoram plus a pinch of salt and black pepper or to taste. Take the steamed cabbage and mix it with the ground beef mixture thoroughly.
Now it is time to use the filling to put in the yeast dough this is how you do it.
You will need flour for dusting while you do this. Pinch off pieces of dough the size of a small lime and roll it flat with a rolling pin after you dust your surface. Please make sure this is clean you don’t want to make yourself and other people sick. Take the small lime size piece of dough and make it flat. it is like if you are rolling out pizza dough or a pie crust.
Take a tbs of the filling with a tiny pat of butter and start folding the dough. make sure the edges are sealed and refer to the picture of the finished product. This is how it is supposed to look. Take some parchment paper and line the baking sheet. this is good for speedy clean up too I love it or if you don’t have parchment paper aluminum foil will work too. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until done at 375ºF= 190.6ºC. Ovens may very. I love my oven because it gets very hot quickly and it works very good too. Stick a toothpick or fork in the krautbrot this is how you can tell if it is done if it comes out clean and it smells and tastes terrific. There were times when my dad would say make some and bring it to the va where he volunteered at. He ate some and he shared it and said I made these. I have seen him eat his fingers almost after I made something. My husband who also said he hates cabbage the first time he ate these he ate 6 the very first time I made these.
I hope you enjoy this one and i think of my grandmother every time i make these. When i was small she died of pneumonia. I don’t remember her but maybe she was guiding my hand all of this time who knows.
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