Plain Runza filling:
- 4 pounds ground beef 80/20
- 4 Vidalia onions, finely chopped
- 4 cabbages, finely grated
- Plenty of garlic salt and onion powder
- Some salt and pepper
Extra ingredients for one pan for Swiss Mushroom Runza filling:
- 2 taller cans of mushrooms, coarsely chopped (added during the cooking of filling ingredients)
- 1 package sliced Swiss cheese (added during runza assembly)
- 1 package sliced American cheese (added during runza assembly)
Brown beef in two big saucepans. Drain just some of the grease. Add onions (to somewhat cleared area of each pan) and plenty of seasoning into both pans. Remove two big ladles full of beef/onion mixture from smaller pan for another use (such as crock pot chili). Move mixture from one area of larger pan. Add mushrooms, and cook thoroughly. Mix cabbage into both pans. Cover and cook for a long time on low to medium heat. Watch carefully so it doesn’t burn. Taste-test and then add more seasoning; repeat. Cool, and then refrigerate filling overnight.
Dough ingredients (one recipe):
- 18 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 cups sugar
- 8 0.25-ounce packages active dry yeast
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups milk
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups shortening
- 8 eggs
Prepare runza dough in two large bowls (spray for easier clean-up). In EACH bowl, put 3 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 4 packages yeast, and 2 teaspoons salt. in EACH of two different bowls, heat 1 1/2 cups milk, 1 cup water, and 1 cup shortening to 120-130 degrees F (use thermometer). Pour one bowl of liquid mixture over one bowl of dry mixture, and repeat for other two bowls. Beat each with an electric mixer on low until blended. Add 4 beaten eggs to each bowl. Beat 3 additional minutes on high. Stir in the remaining flour (about 5 cups in each of two bowls – reserving 1/2 cup for kneading). Knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour (oven barely turned on briefly and then shut off works well). In larger bowl, punch down dough. Let sit for another 1/2 hour. Separate (cut) into four equal parts. Roll one part out (leave center thicker), and cut into 10 or 12 squarish rectangles. Put down a strip (1/3 slice) of Swiss cheese, and top with about 1/4 cup meat-mushroom mixture. Stretch dough around filling, fold, and crease. Place seam-side down on greased cookie sheet. Continue until all of the meat-mushroom mixture is gone.
For Cheese Runzas, put down a strip (1/3 slice) of American cheese before topping with about 1/4 cup meat mixture. Double-wrap pans with plastic, and place in freezer. This makes about 80-96 smaller runzas: about 46+ Swiss mushroom runzas and 34+ cheese runzas.
To bake fresh runzas: Let rise in a warm place for 1/2 hour, and then bake 13-18 minutes at 350 degrees. (Spin in oven halfway through for even baking.)
To bake frozen runzas: Thaw in refrigerator 48 hours before letting rise in a warm place for 1/2 hour, and then bake 14-20 minutes at 350 degrees. (Spin in oven halfway through.)
Tips:
- Don’t cool runzas on cooling racks on their tops. It makes them ugly.
- Don’t cool runzas on their tops on greased cookie sheets. It makes the tops slimy.
- After assembling runzas, cover with towel in oven that was warmed to 200 degrees and then shut off.
- Runzas should always be spaced 2 inches apart from each other.
- On Airbake, cook at 350 degrees on middle rack for 9 minutes, then spin and bake another 2 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack. Freeze for 15 minutes or until cool. Transfer to gallon freezer bags. Thaw. Transfer to Airbake. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-20 minutes.