Runzas
If you’ve never had a Runza, you’re missing out! The modern Runza sandwich was invented in the 1940s in Nebraska, though both the sandwich and its name are derived from similar products dating back to eighteenth-century Eastern Europe.
Making Runzas at home is a several-hour project, but well worth the time. The dough is the same as for Kolaches. You can also cheat and use refrigerated biscuit dough.
The filling can be modified to suit individual tastes. For instance, I used American cheese and plain hamburger to fill Gem’s Runzas, since she’d never had one before. She tentatively tasted it (dipping a piece in ketchup as I suggested) and agreed hers tasted just like a cheeseburger. Maybe one of these days I can get her to try the cabbage-filled version. 😀
Runzas
Equipment
- Mixer
- Rolling pin
- Large pot with lid
- Cookie sheet
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3¼ tsp active dry yeast or 1½ packages active dry yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
Filling
- 1 lbs ground beef
- 6 cups cabbage, chopped
- 16 oz fresh or canned mushrooms optional
- 1 small yellow onion optional
- black pepper, to taste
- 4 oz shredded cheese of your choice
- cooking spray
Directions
Dough
- Heat milk in microwave-safe bowl till scalding. Transfer milk to mixer bowl. Use a dough hook instead of the beater for your mixer.
- Mix in oil and sugar. Beat eggs slightly and add to mixture. Let cool to lukewarm, then mix in yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture is foamy. Mix in the salt.
- Add flour a cup at a time, mixing on low speed. If dough is still very sticky after adding all the flour, sprinkle in additional flour until it's no longer sticky.
- Dump dough onto floured rolling mat. Knead, incorporating more flour into the dough until it's smooth and elastic.
- Spray mixer bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in it. Cover with towel or waxed paper.
- Let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour.) Punch down and let rise again. Punch down and briefly knead into ball. (Sprinkle with flour if very sticky.)
- Note: While dough is rising, cook filling.
Filling
- In large pot, brown ground beef.
- Add cabbage, onions, and fresh mushrooms. (If using canned mushrooms, wait until cabbage and onions are cooked before adding.)
- Cover and saute, stirring occasionally. When cabbage is soft and translucent, remove from heat. Sprinkle liberally with black pepper and stir until distributed evenly. Let cool.
Assembly & Baking
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray.
- Divide dough in half, then in half again, and again, continuing until you have 16 equally sized pieces. On a floured surface, roll one portion of dough as square as you can, to ⅛" thickness.
- Put about ⅛ cup shredded cheese in center of dough square. Top with about ¼ cup cabbage filling.
- Pull opposite corners of the dough together and pinch to hold. .
- Do the same with the other two corners. Pinch edges of dough until sealed. Place seam side down on cookie sheet
- Repeat with remaining dough. Space Runzas about 1" apart. Makes about 16.
- Bake about 20 minutes or until browned. Serve with ketchup.
