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hand holding pan of runzas

Runzas

dramamamafive
It's not difficult to make a decent batch of runzas, but it's dang tricky to make a FANTASTIC batch of runzas. This recipe includes several secrets to superlative runzas, those iconic cabbage and hamburger baked sandwiches that you can find in Nebraska and hardly anyplace else.
4 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 20

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups chopped onions
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed and diced
  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 head of cabbage, shredded
  • 1 can of sauerkraut, with the juice
  • salt and pepper (to taste) & cheese (optional)
  • DOUGH:
  • 1/2 cup butter, unsalted
  • 1 Tb dry yeast
  • 2 cups warm water OR milk
  • 1 TBs salt
  • 2 eggs, well beaten
  • 7 cups unbleached flour
  • 1 cups whole wheat flour

Instructions
 

  • First, make the filling: Chop onions and garlic and sauté in a large frying pan with a little butter or olive oil until tender.
  • Add ground beef along with generous amounts of salt and pepper and cook through, then drain well, if needed. (This will depend on how fatty the beef is.)
  • Put browned ground beef into a large pot (I like to use my Crock pot). Stir in cabbage and kraut and simmer 3-4 hours, stirring often, and seasoning and tasting. (If using a Crock pot, cook on "low" for 5 to 6 hours.)
  • Now to make dough: Heat the butter in the milk until almost completely melted. Let cool until room temperature. Stir the yeast into the warm mixture.
  • In a large bowl, mix together sugar, salt, and eggs. Beat in eggs, then stir in yeast mixture.
  • Add flours quickly one cup at a time, stirring well after each cup. (I use my Bosch mixer for this step.)
  • When the dough begins to pull away from the side of the mixing bowl, turn out onto a lightly-floured countertop and incorporate remaining flour by kneading. Knead 100 strokes until the dough is elastic and smooth. (Kneading can be omitted but this will make the dough nicer to handle, and with an improved texture.)
  • Let rest in a covered bowl one hour or until doubled in size.
  • Cut off golf ball sized pieces. Lightly flour countertop and roll out each piece.
  • Fill each circle of dough with approximately 1/2 cup of filling, and optional cheese if desired. Pull edges of dough around the filling and pinch tightly. Place on a sheet of parchment on a sheet pan, or a 9x13" pan. Or any pan that you like, actually.
  • Preheat oven to 375 while allowing runzas to rest for 30 minutes. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until approaching golden.
  • Swash with melted butter and bake for 10 more minutes or until golden. Serve while hot. Urge caution! The filling will be very hot.