3.75cupsall purpose bread flourall purpose flour can be substituted
12tablespoonsunsalted butterat room temperature
2teaspoonskosher salt
¾cupwarm water
The Honey Mushroom-Beef Filling
1.5lbsbeef chuckdiced into 1 inch pieces
2small yellow onions diced ¼ inch to yield 1 cup
1tablespoonfresh garlicminced
1teaspooncoarsely groundtoasted carraway seed
2teaspoonschopped fresh thyme leaves
¼cupsour cream
2cupshoney mushroom duxellesexample recipe here
¼cupdry sherry
1cupstrong meat stockpreferably homemade
¼cupflavorless oil or lard
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
Dough
Combine yeast, sugar and water in the bowl of a stand mixer and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
Beat 3 of the eggs in a bowl with a fork, then add to the water and yeast. Add the flour, salt and butter, then mix on low speed with the dough hook for 15 minutes.
Remove the dough to an oiled bowl and allow to rise for an hour. Refrigerate the dough to make it easier to work with.
Filling
Season the meat with salt and pepper, then allow to dry uncovered in the fridge so it browns evenly (optional). Heat the oil in a large pan (10-12 inches) until lightly smoking, then brown the meat deeply, working in batches to not overcrowd the pan.
Move the meat to the side of the pan and add the garlic and cook slowly until lightly browned. Add the onions, thyme and carraway and cook until the onion is translucent. Deglaze the pan with the sherry and reduce until nearly dry, add the stock and honey mushroom duxelles, then cover the pan and simmer on low heat until the meat is very tender, roughly 30-45 minutes (I do this in the oven).
When the meat is tender, return the pan to the heat and reduce the juices until the pan is nearly dry, which will concentrate the natural gelatin of the nice stock you used, ensuring a gooey, rich filling. When the pan is nearly dry, allow the meat mixture to cool, then stir in the sour cream. Reserve the filling.
Forming, Filling, and Baking
Portion the dough into 4 ounce pieces. If you don't have a scale, just separate the dough into 8 equal sized pieces. Roll the pieces of dough into balls and allow to warm to room temperature for about 15-20 minutes if they were refrigerated, covered with a plastic bag to prevent oxidization.
Take each dough ball and flatten it out into a rectangle with a rolling pin to about ¼ inch, then put scant ½ cups of filling in the middle of each piece of dough. Fold the corners over each other so they overlap, then roll the dough around in your hand, trying to make sure you close the seams as much as possible. Repeat with the remaining dough balls, then place on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray or lined with a silicon silpat, cover with the plastic bag or wrap again and allow to rise for another hour in a warm place, such as near the oven on the heat setting or roughly 150-200 degrees.
Beat the remaining egg with 2 tablespoons of water to make some egg wash, brush the runzas with the egg wash, then bake for 25 minutes at 375, then use a spatula to transfer them to a resting rack to avoid the bottoms getting soggy from steam. Eat hot with a green salad on the side.
Notes
Every part of this, including the dough can be made the day beforehand. The mushroom ragu will actually taste better if you make it a couple days before you serve.Big thanks to local authority on all things Midwestern Amy Thielen for having a solid runza dough recipe, her's was the best out of the 3 I tried. I modified it slightly, but nothing that affects the performance.