Runza

1. First you’ll make the dough. Whisk the warm water and yeast together in a small bowl and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes until creamy. Break the egg into a separate bowl and lightly beat.
2. Heat the milk, sugar and butter in a saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted (be careful not to scorch the milk). Remove from heat and let it cool. (I poured mine into a small bowl and put it in the freezer for a short time while I prepared the rest.)
3. In a stand up mixer (or for the old fashion approach, use your hands) combine the flour and salt. Remove the milk, sugar and butter mixture from the freezer and mix it into the yeast mixture. Add this mixture into the flour along with the egg. Using the kneading attachment, mix for about 5 minutes. Your dough should not be sticky.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
5. Now you will make the filling. Brown the ground beef in a pan over medium heat. As you are cooking it, make sure to break it into small crumbles. Once browned, remove it from the pan and strain the fat. Add the oil into the pan then saute the onion and cabbage until tender. Return the meat to the pan. Add your pepper and a dash of salt to taste. Remove from heat and cool.
6. When dough has risen, make 10 equal sized balls of dough.
7. Roll each ball out individually forming a rectangular shape. Add about 1/2 cup of the meat mixture to the center of the dough. Bring the long ends up first pinching closed then pinch the open ends closed. Place each meat filled dough ball on a parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. They will be in a loose rectangle shape. Repeat for all the balls of dough. You may need 2 baking sheets.
8. Cover with a piece of parchment and a dish-towel and allow it to rise for about 20-30 minutes.
9. Heat your oven to 350 F.
10. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the pans from the oven and brush them with some melted butter. Serve and enjoy!

I have only myself, my husband and a teenager at home. So I had several of these bad boys left. I let them cool, wrapped each individual runza in a couple layers of plastic wrap and froze them in an airtight freezer bag. When you are hungry and are short on time, take one out and heat it up. Great for an on-the-go lunch!

My husband’s family is from Nebraska where these are wildly popular and actually are served in “fast food” type establishments. His cousin has made them for years and always talked about them. In all the years I’ve been visiting with them, I never got to try them. After begging me for over a year to try these, I gave in and did. Boy what a treat!