Nebraska Runzas #BreadBakers

A fluffy bun and a savory filling of ground beef, chopped cabbage and onion are the hallmarks of classic Nebraska runzas, a great midwestern snack. 

Way back in May of 2016, I was researching stuffed bun recipes for a Bread Bakers post in August and came across one for Nebraska runzas. It was originally published in the Washington Post, written by a food writer named Tim Carman who grew up in Nebraska.

While I didn't save the story he shared with the recipe, apparently his mom's homemade runzas were a breakthrough in the food battles the two of them were having. Unfortunately, the link no longer contains the recipe, no less the story, so I'm glad I copied and pasted that! 

I ended up not making the runzas 10 years ago, sharing instead some tasty cheese-stuffed-peppadew stuffed buns of my own devise. This time, I decided the Nebraska runzas had waited long enough! 

Nebraska Runzas

These stuffed buns don’t traditionally have any spice beyond salt and black pepper  in the filling but, as a Cajun person, I felt moved to sprinkle in some cayenne. It added a lovely little kick. Leave it out if you want to go old-school Nebraskan.

Ingredients

For the dough:

3⁄4 teaspoon active dry yeast

1⁄4 cup or 60ml warm water, plus 1/3 cup or 90ml room-temperature water 1/3 cup or 90ml milk

1⁄4 cup or 48g vegetable shortening

3 1⁄4 cups or 406g flour, plus more as needed for kneading

1 tablespoon sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

Canola or other light oil, for greasing the proofing bowl

Milk for brushing on before baking

For the filling:

1.1 lb or 500g lean ground beef

Olive oil

1 small onion, cut into small dice, about 1 cup (about 125g)

2 1⁄2 cups chopped green cabbage (from 1⁄4 large head) (about 170g) 

3⁄4 teaspoon salt

Several generous grinds black pepper

1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne, optional

Method

Combine the yeast and the 1/4 cup or 60ml of warm water in small bowl or measuring vessel, adding a pinch of the sugar and stirring until the yeast has dissolved.

Combine the 1/3 cup or 90ml of the room-temperature water, the milk and shortening in a small saucepan; heat over low heat until the shortening has liquefied but the temperature of the mixture is no greater than 130°F or 54°C.

Add in the rest of the sugar and the salt and stir till dissolved.

(If during that time the yeast mixture hasn’t bubbled at all, your yeast might be dead. So dump it out and start over.)

Combine 1 cup or 125g of the flour, in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeasty liquid, the warm milk mixture and the egg to the mixer bowl.

Beat on medium-low speed until well incorporated. Stop to scrape down the bowl and beaters; then, on medium-low speed, gradually add the rest of the flour, beating to form a wet dough.

Change over to the dough-hook attachment and knead in your stand mixer or on a floured surface, adding a little extra flour, if needed, until you form a dough that’s smooth and elastic and a still a bit tacky.

Lightly grease a proofing bowl with oil, then place the dough in it. Cover with a damp towel or cling film and leave to rise in a draft-free spot for 1 to 2 hours or until the dough has about doubled in size. 

Meanwhile, make the filling. Fry the ground beef with a drizzle of olive oil in a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat. Cook until you get a few well browned crunchy bits, breaking up the meat to a crumbly consistency as it cooks.

Stir in the onion and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until translucent.

Add in the cabbage. 

Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring to incorporate, until the cabbage has softened. Season with the salt, black pepper and cayenne, if using. Stir well and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool.

Uncover and punch down the dough. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions (it’s good to use a kitchen scale for this) and roll them into balls. Divide your filling into 12 equal portions. (A scale is handy here as well!) These are my first six.

Working with one at a time on the floured work surface, roll out each portion of dough to your best approximation of a 5-inch or 12.5cm square, – NOT ROUND. A round runza is how they are made in Kansas, not Nebraska! 

Spoon one portion of the filling into the center of each piece. Dampen the edges with water.

Fold the sides in. 

Then fold the top and bottom together and pinch to seal the seams, making your requisite rectangle.

Preheat the oven to 375°F or 190°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner. 

Place seam-side down on the lined baking sheet. I had to do mine in two batches since I was baking in a small oven. Our new kitchen is meant to be ready by this weekend though. 🤞

Let the runzas rise for 20 minutes then brush them with a little milk.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy! 

It's the second Tuesday of the month so, as mentioned above, it's time for my Bread Bakers to share their recipes. As you might have surmised, the theme is stuffed buns! Many thanks to our host, Radha of Magical Ingredients. Check out the links below.

• Custard Buns from A Messy Kitchen
• Homemade Nebraska Runzas from Sneha’s Recipe
• Ham and Cheese Stuffed Buns from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Hot Dog Flower Buns from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Nebraska Runzas from Food Lust People Love
• Salted Caramel Apple Wreath from Magical Ingredients

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin these Nebraska Runzas!

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