Looking through old and heirloom recipe collections of late, I stumbled upon a culinary curiosity called runsas. Though supposedly an old Midwestern recipe of German heritage, I’d never heard of them, much less found them at any local potluck. The picture resembled those delightful little pork buns you’d find in Chinatown for dim sum, only bigger, and, though the recipe called for ground beef, I tried it out with those Chinatown flavors in mind: ground pork filled in for the beef; garlic and 5-spice powder added some interest. I kept the cabbage for a little crunch.
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe in its original, as printed below, and many possible variations. It’s a wonderful concept, really, encasing a cooked ground meat filling inside its own soft bun. Try my variation for the upcoming Chinese New Year, or treat your Valentine to these sweet and savory buns. They could even turn into not-so-sloppy Joes for a Superbowl fête. Make up a different name for what’s in them.
Runsas
Dough
¾ cup warm water (110 degrees)
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 packages (4 ½ teaspoons) rapid-rise or instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
Filling
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 ½ pounds 90% lean ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
½ small head cabbage, cored and chopped (about 3 cups)
Salt and pepper
8 slices deli cheese, such as Swiss or Muenster
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. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
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.
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. Allow to cool.
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. 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.
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.
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