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Nebraska runzas
Soft bread pockets stuffed with beef and cabbage
Runzas came to Nebraska with Volga German settlers, who called them bierocks, and today they are the state's fast food, packed for Cornhusker football games and long drives across the plains. A soft, slightly sweet bread dough is wrapped around a peppery filling of beef mince, onion and cabbage and baked into a rectangular pocket. Chef's tip: let the filling cool and drain it in a sieve before filling; hot, wet filling makes the dough soggy and tear.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (7)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix the 1 ¼ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz instant dried yeast, 1 ¾ oz sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 cup milk, 1 egg and 2 ⅛ oz butter and knead 8 minutes until soft and smooth. Cover and rise 1 hour until doubled.
70 minStep 2: Brown the 1 ⅓ lb beef mince and 1 onion in a large pan for 10 minutes, breaking up the meat, until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F. Add the 1 ⅛ lb white cabbage, 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper and cook 10 minutes more until the cabbage is soft. Drain in a sieve and cool.
25 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan). Divide the dough into 10, and roll each into a 15 × 18 cm rectangle.
10 minStep 4: Put a heaped scoop of filling in the middle of each, fold the sides over and pinch all the seams tightly shut. Set seam-side down on lined trays and rest 15 minutes.
25 minStep 5: Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden brown. A common mistake is leaving seams loose, which split open in the oven. Brush with ⅔ oz butter as they come out.
25 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 21 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nebraska runzas take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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