Oma's Krautstrudel: German Meat & Cabbage Pull-Apart Buns

Oma’s Krautstrudel is an old-fashioned German family recipe of pillowy, slightly sweet yeast buns stuffed with a savory mixture of beef, pork, onion and tender cabbage. Baked together until golden and buttery, the buns stay incredibly soft and fluffy with tender pull-apart sides. Best served warm the way Oma did it... turned on their side, with a little hole made in the soft bread and a knob of butter tucked inside to melt. Pure comfort food and a taste of home. ❤️

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% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Warm the milk until comfortably warm but not hot. Stir in the yeast and a spoonful of the sugar. Let stand for 5–10 minutes, until foamy.

Step 2

Add the remaining sugar, melted butter, eggs and salt. Mix well.

Step 3

Gradually add 3 1/2 cups flour and mix until a very soft dough forms. Add additional flour only as needed. The dough should remain soft and slightly tacky.

Step 4

Knead for 7–10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic and stretchy. Keep the dough soft and avoid adding too much flour.

Step 5

Place the dough in a buttered bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Step 6

While the dough rises, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet. Add the ground beef, ground pork and onion. Cook over medium heat, breaking the meat into small pieces.

Step 7

When the meat is nearly cooked, add the finely shredded cabbage, salt, black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon sugar.

Step 8

Cook over medium-low heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage and onion are very soft and sweet and have cooked down into the meat. The filling should be moist but not wet.

Step 9

Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if needed. Remove from the heat and allow the filling to cool until just warm.

Step 10

Punch down the risen dough and divide into 12 equal pieces.

Step 11

Gently flatten each piece into a round about 5 inches across, keeping the centre slightly thicker than the edges.

Step 12

Place a generous scoop of filling in the centre. Bring the edges of the dough up around the filling and pinch firmly together to completely seal the bun.

Step 13

Place each bun seam-side down in a generously buttered 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Arrange them close together so they will rise into one another.

Step 14

Cover and let rise for 30–45 minutes, or until the buns are extremely puffy, soft and touching each other.

Step 15

Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25–30 minutes, until the tops are light golden brown. Do not overbake.

Step 16

Brush the hot buns generously with melted butter immediately after removing them from the oven.

Step 17

Loosely cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 10–15 minutes to keep the buns beautifully soft.

Step 18

Pull the warm buns apart to serve. Turn one onto its soft side, make a little hole in the fluffy bread and tuck in a knob of butter. Let it melt into the hot bun before eating.