PAM PATTERSON | LEON, KANSAS

Calling runsas "beef and cabbage buns" doesn't really do them justice. For this old-fashioned Midwestern recipe, a simple filling made with ground beef, browned cabbage, and chopped onion is encased in a rectangle of soft, slightly sweet yeast dough. The combination is both unexpected and addictive.

Runsas were brought to Nebraska by Volga Germans, ethnic German farmers who settled in Russia and then immigrated to the Midwest. Runsas were popularized by the Runza Drive-Inn, a fast-food restaurant that opened in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1945; there are now dozens of Runza franchises, mostly in Nebraska, but also in Kansas, Iowa, and Colorado.

So how did runsas become a favorite recipe in Pam's household? She credits her sister for developing the family's first recipe back in the late 1960s. "I'm not sure how Jeanne thought of adding sweetened condensed milk to the dough, but it's a brilliant idea." Pam now lives in Kansas, where she says these buns are round, not rectangular, and go by the name "bierocks." Over the years, Pam has adopted the round shape (they are easier to make) and added a slice of American cheese to the filling.

SERVES 8

DOUGH
¾ cup warm water (110 degrees)
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
3½ cups all-purpose flour
2 packages rapid-rise or instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt

FILLING
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (with 2 tablespoons melted)
1½ pounds 90% lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped fine
½ small head cabbage, cored and chopped (about 3 cups) (see page 11)
Salt and pepper
8 slices deli American cheese

1. For the dough: Lightly grease a large bowl with cooking spray. Mix the water, condensed milk, oil, sugar, and egg in a large measuring cup. Mix the flour, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. With the mixer on low, add the water mixture. After the dough comes together, increase the speed to medium and mix until shiny and smooth, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a heavily floured work surface, shape into a ball, and place in the greased bowl. (To make the dough by hand, see page 74.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

2. For the filling: Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until just beginning to brown, about 6 minutes, breaking up any large clumps. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a paper-towel-lined plate.

3. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pan. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and toss until just beginning to wilt, 2 to 4 minutes. Return the beef to the pan and season with salt and pepper.

4. To assemble and bake: Adjust two oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat two baking sheets with cooking spray. Following the photos, divide the dough into eight equal pieces. Working on a lightly floured work surface, roll each piece of dough into a 7-inch circle. Place one dough round in a deep cereal bowl and top with one slice of cheese. Spoon ¾ cup filling over the cheese and pinch the edges of the dough together to form a bun. Transfer the bun, seam-side down, to a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, cheese, and filling, placing four buns on each baking sheet. Cover the buns with plastic wrap and let rise until puffed, about 20 minutes.

5. Bake the buns until golden brown, about 20 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time. Brush the hot buns with the remaining melted butter and serve.

Notes from the Test Kitchen
This dough is incredibly easy to work with and the sweetened milk complements the savory filling. We liked these buns so much, in fact, that we wanted more runsa in our runsa—so we upped the amount of filling called for in the original recipe. Because we found making the buns to be a little tricky, we pulled out a cereal bowl and used it to cradle the dough and the filling. Be careful that you don't overcook the cabbage, as you want it to provide some crunch when you bite into these mouth-watering sandwiches.

1. Divide the dough into eight equal pieces and roll each piece into a 7-inch circle.
2. To form each runsa, place one dough round in a deep cereal bowl.
3. Top the dough circle with a slice of cheese and ¾ cup of filling.
4. Stretch the dough over the filling, pinching the edges together to form a bun.

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