Runza

Runza (Nebraska Beef and Cabbage Pocket)

A handheld stuffed bread roll from Nebraska, filled with seasoned ground beef, cabbage, and onions. Traditionally baked until the golden bread wraps are crisp on the outside and soft inside.

Prep

45 min

Cook

25 min

Total

70 min

Serves

8

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• •240 ml (1 cup) whole milk, warm, around 38°C / 100°F
• •7 g (2¼ tsp) instant yeast, one standard packet
• •50 g (¼ cup) unsalted butter, softened
• •25 g (2 tbsp) granulated sugar
• •8 g (1½ tsp) fine salt
• •1 large egg, for the dough
• •1 tbsp neutral oil, for greasing the bowl
• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) lean ground beef, 85/15 is traditional; do not use extra-lean, it dries out
• •1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) green cabbage, cored and finely shredded
• •15 g (1 tbsp) unsalted butter, for sautéing
• •5 g (1 tsp) salt, for the filling
• •2 g (1 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• •1 g (½ tsp) garlic powder
• •60 ml (¼ cup) beef broth or water
• •1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash

Steps

1. 1 Make the dough: in a large bowl (or stand mixer) combine warm milk, yeast, and sugar; let sit 5 minutes until foamy. Add flour, salt, butter, and egg and knead 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add a little extra flour if sticky, but keep the dough soft.
2. 2 Shape the dough into a ball, coat lightly with oil, cover, and let rise in a warm spot 60–90 minutes until roughly doubled.
3. 3 Meanwhile, make the filling: melt 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook 4–5 minutes until translucent. Add the ground beef, breaking it up, and brown 6–8 minutes; drain excess fat.
4. 4 Stir in the shredded cabbage, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and broth. Cook 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until the cabbage is wilted and most of the liquid has evaporated. The filling should be moist but not soupy — too much liquid will make the bread soggy. Taste and adjust salt; cool to room temperature before filling.
5. 5 Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (about 110 g each) and roll each into a ball. Rest 5 minutes.
6. 6 Roll each ball into a roughly 20 cm / 8 inch round. Mound about 80–90 g of filling in the center of each round, leaving a 2 cm / ¾ inch border.
7. 7 Fold the dough up over the filling, pleating and pinching the seams tightly to seal (a runza is a fully enclosed pocket — no filling should peek out). Flip seam-side down and gently press into a torpedo or oval shape, about 12 cm / 5 inches long.
8. 8 Place seam-side down on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Cover and let rise 20–25 minutes.
9. 9 Preheat oven to 190°C / 375°F. Brush the runzas with beaten egg.
10. 10 Bake 22–25 minutes until deeply golden brown and the internal temperature of the dough reaches at least 94°C / 200°F on an instant-read thermometer.
11. 11 Cool 5 minutes before serving. Runzas are traditionally eaten by hand, often with a side of horseradish or mustard.