Sauerkraut and Mushroom Buns, also known as Polish Kapuśniaczki or Paszteciki, are tasty little buns/rolls stuffed with tangy sauerkraut and flavorful mushrooms and onions. They’re like delicious pockets of sour and savory flavors wrapped in a fluffy yeast dough. Great for snacking or as appetizers!
About this recipe
These sauerkraut and mushroom buns/rolls are called Kapuśniaczki or Paszteciki, depending on the region of Poland. In south-east Poland where I grew up, they were called Kapuśniaczki, while Paszteciki were filled with meat filling.
The sauerkraut and mushroom filling presented below is very traditional and my personal favorite, it is the same filling I’m using for sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi (a traditional type of Pierogi in Poland, very popular). The meat filling is most often made from leftover meat from Rosol soup or roast meat or ground meat with onions and spices.
There are a couple types of dough used in this recipe, yeast dough (ciasto drożdżowe) being the most popular. Other types of dough that are used include butter-enriched yeast dough (ciasto krucho-drożdżowe), a kind of cross between yeast dough and shortbread pastry. Sometimes also puff pastry is being used, which is a great shortcut if you don’t want to make any dough.
Kapusniaczki are traditionally served with Polish Christmas Eve Borscht Soup or Krokiety but they are also made/sold all-year-round. See all our Polish Christmas recipes.
Ingredients
Below you will find information about the ingredients and how to prepare the recipe. For the measurements and detailed instructions scroll down to the printable recipe card.
Here’s what you need to make this delicious recipe:
The mushroom sauerkraut filling:
- Sauerkraut – make sure to buy naturally fermented sauerkraut and not sauerkraut with vinegar. The naturally fermented sauerkraut is pleasantly sour and delicious. Bad-quality sauerkraut or sauerkraut made with vinegar may be too sour – if that’s the case – you can rinse it. When I buy good-quality sauerkraut, I never rinse it.
- Mushrooms – I like to use both fresh cremini mushrooms and dried mushrooms. If you can’t get dried mushrooms, use more fresh mushrooms. Dried porcini mushrooms add more flavor to the dish, but you can omit them.
- Onions and oil for cooking (neutral-tasting vegetable oil).
- Seasonings – I used traditional Polish seasonings – marjoram and caraway seeds. Caraway seeds are important and add a characteristic flavor to the dish. Bay leaves and allspice berries are also added to sauerkraut while it is cooking – you can omit them.
- You could also add chopped garlic, although it is not traditional in this recipe.
Here’s what you need for the yeast dough:
How to make it step-by-step
Make the sauerkraut mushroom filling:
STEP 1+2: Drain the sauerkraut (drained sauerkraut should weigh 450g / 16 oz), combine in a medium pot with dried mushrooms, bay leaves, and allspice berries. Add water, enough to cover the sauerkraut and mushrooms. Cook, partially covered, over medium heat for about 45 minutes or until the sauerkraut is soft.
Drain the cooked sauerkraut with mushrooms (you can reserve the liquid, it can be used to enhance the flavor of many soups, including Polish Christmas Eve Beet Soup). Discard bay leaves and allspice berries.
STEP 3: Cut fresh mushrooms into slices, dice the onions.
STEP 4: Cook the mushrooms: Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a pan heated over high heat. Add chopped mushrooms. Don’t stir for the first 2-3 minutes or until the mushrooms are browned at the bottom, then stir and cook until the mushrooms release water. Cook until it evaporates, stirring from time to time, then cook until nicely browned, transfer to a plate. Take the pan off the heat.
STEP 5: Set the heat to low and add another tablespoon of oil. Cook the chopped onions with caraway seeds for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until soft and translucent. Add marjoram, cook for another minute, transfer to a plate.
STEP 6: Add the cooked sauerkraut with mushrooms, pan-fried cremini mushrooms, and sauteed onions to a food processor bowl. Pulse several times to chop finely (but not to a paste consistency). You can also chop it finely with a knife.
Season the filling with salt and pepper, to taste.
Set aside to cool then put in the fridge. The filling must be cold before you put it on the dough (important).
Make the yeast dough:
STEP 7: Heat milk to 100-110°F (38-43°C) (pleasantly warm to your finger, it can’t be too hot) pour into a medium bowl. Add sugar and yeast, stir. Let stand for 10 minutes until foam appears.
STEP 8: Add the flour and salt to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
Add the egg, egg yolk, and yeast-milk mixture to the bowl with flour (butter not yet). Stir with a spoon until roughly combined.
STEP 9: Knead with a stand mixer at speed 2 or by hand for about 5 minutes. The dough will be sticky, try to not add any more flour (especially if using a stand mixer).
Slowly add butter, tablespoon after tablespoon, adding the next one when the previous is incorporated into the dough.
STEP 10: Knead the dough for 10 minutes. It will be a little bit sticky. Scrape the dough out of the bowl on a silicone rolling mat or on a counter.
Lightly grease the bowl with neutral-tasting vegetable oil, then lightly grease your hands and form the dough into a smooth ball, about 1 minute.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and put in a warm place, for example, in a turned off oven with a light on.
STEP 11: Let rise for 1 hour, the dough should double its volume.
Shape the buns:
STEP 12: Transfer the dough to a counter / a silicone rolling mat and roll it out to a rectangle (about 14×18 inch (35x45cm)). Divide it into 4 long strips.
STEP 13: Place some of the filling in the middle of each strip (see photos in the body of the post for a reference). You will have some filling left, you can use it as a filling for pierogi or freeze it.
STEP 14: Wrap the dough around the filling creating a long log.
STEP 15: Transfer each log to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a kitchen cloth and let rise again for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Make egg wash: beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water until well combined. Brush the logs with the egg wash on all sides.
Cut the log with a knife every 2 inches (5 cm) but don’t divide it into parts (it will make it easier to divide it into smaller portions after it has been baked).
STEP 16: Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy!
Storage
You can store these buns at room temperature for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or eat at room temperature – they will be still delicious.
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Sauerkraut Mushroom Buns (Polish Paszteciki/Kapusniaczki)
Ingredients
for the sauerkraut mushroom filling:
- 1 lb (450g) drained sauerkraut
- 0.7 oz (20g) dried porcini mushrooms
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 allspice berries
- 3 tablespoons frying oil
- 2 medium onions 240g / 8.5 oz
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 teaspoon marjoram
- 14 oz (400g) fresh cremini mushrooms
- salt and black pepper to taste
for the yeast dough:
- 3 1/4 cups (400g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled, not scooped
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (240g) milk
- 2 3/4 teaspoon instant yeast 9g, 1 packet + 1/2 teaspoon
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 large egg at room temp
- 1 egg yolk at room temp
- 1 stick (115g) very soft butter
additionally:
- 1 egg+1 tablespoon milk for egg wash
- caraway seeds to sprinkle on top of the pastries
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Instructions
Make the filling:
- Drain the sauerkraut (drained sauerkraut should weigh 450g / 16 oz), combine in a medium pot with dried mushrooms, bay leaves, and allspice berries. Add water, enough to cover the sauerkraut and mushrooms. Cook, partially covered, over medium heat for about 45 minutes or until the sauerkraut is soft.
- Cut fresh mushrooms into slices, dice the onions.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a big frying pan. Cook the chopped onion with caraway seeds for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until soft and translucent. Add marjoram, cook for another minute, transfer to a plate.
- Increase the heat to high, add another tablespoon of oil and chopped mushrooms. Don’t stir for the first 2-3 minutes or until the mushrooms are browned at the bottom, then stir and cook until the mushrooms release water. Cook until it evaporates, stirring from time to time, then cook until nicely browned, transfer on a plate. Take the pan off the heat.
- Drain the cooked sauerkraut with mushrooms (you can reserve the liquid, it can be used to enhance the flavor of many soups, including Polish Christmas Eve Beet Soup). Discard bay leaves and allspice berries.
- Add the cooked sauerkraut with mushrooms, pan-fried cremini mushrooms, and sauteed onions to a food processor bowl. Pulse several times to chop finely (but not to a paste consistency). You can also chop it finely with a knife.
- Season the filling with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Set aside to cool then put in the fridge. The filling must be cold before you put it on the dough (important).
Make the dough:
- Add the flour and salt to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Heat milk to 100-110°F (38-43°C) (pleasantly warm to your finger, it can't be too hot) pour into a medium bowl. Add sugar and yeast, stir. Let stand for 10 minutes until foam appears.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and yeast-milk mixture to the bowl with flour (butter not yet). Stir with a spoon until roughly combined.
- Knead with a stand mixer at speed 2 or by hand for about 5 minutes. The dough will be sticky, try to not add any more flour (especially if using a stand mixer).
- Slowly add butter, tablespoon after tablespoon, adding the next one when the previous is incorporated into the dough.
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes. It will be a little bit sticky. Scrape the dough out of the bowl on a silicone rolling mat or on a counter.
- Lightly grease the bowl with neutral-tasting vegetable oil, then lightly grease your hands and form the dough into a smooth ball, about 1 minute.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and put in a warm place, for example, in a turned off oven with a light on.
- Let rise for 1 hour, the dough should double its volume.
Shape the buns:
- Transfer the dough to a counter / a silicone rolling mat and roll it out to a rectangle (about 14×18 inch (35x45cm)). Divide it into 4 long strips.
- Place some of the filling in the middle of each strip (see photos in the body of the post for a reference). You will have some filling left, you can use it as a filling for pierogi or freeze it.
- Wrap the dough around the filling creating a long log.
- Transfer each log to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a kitchen cloth and let rise again for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Make egg wash: beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water until well combined. Brush the logs with the egg wash on all sides.
- Cut the log with a knife every 2 inches (5 cm) but don't divide it into parts (it will make it easier to divide it into smaller portions after it has been baked).
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Enjoy!
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