Runza: Nebraska Pies

Ingredients:

Dough

• 7 g active dry yeast
• 3 tbsp. sugar + a pinch
• 4 large eggs
• 3 and 3/4 cups bread flour, plus extra for working
• 165g salted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing the bowl
• 2 tsp fine sea salt

Filling

• 450 g of ground beef with 10%-15% fat content
• 3 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 large Vidalia onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme (or 1.5 tsp dried)
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (or 1.5 teaspoons dried)
• 1 tbsp canola oil + extra for greasing the pan
• 220 g spinach

Preparation:

1. Knead the dough:

   
   In a large bowl, combine 3/4 cup warm water (about 104°F), yeast, and a pinch of sugar and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
   
2. Add 3 eggs and beat until combined. Add half of the bread flour and knead with a wooden spoon until a stiff dough forms, about 3 minutes. Add the butter, the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, the remaining flour, and salt and mix well. The dough will be slightly sticky. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
3. Knead the dough with your hands to develop the gluten until it becomes firm and smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for 1 hour at room temperature. Then refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight.
4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball and let it rest on the counter, loosely covered with a kitchen towel, until it reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the filling:

   
   Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and cook, breaking up the ground beef with a spoon, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer it to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
   
6. Pour off all the fat from the pan, leaving a light coating on the bottom. Add the butter, and when it's melted, add the onion. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and cook for another 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the ground beef.
7. Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil to the same pan. Sauté the spinach over high heat until wilted and the excess liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Chop the spinach, then add it to the bowl with the meat mixture and let it cool.

8. Roll out the dough:

   
   Flatten the dough ball on a heavily floured surface and roll it out into a 2.5 x 12.5 cm rectangle. Then roll out each of the four corners of the rectangle to create a thick rectangle with four thinner triangular wings at the corners.
   

9. Fill the pies with the filling:

   
   Place 0.5 cups of beef filling in the center of the dough rectangle and fold the flat corners over, pinching to seal. Pick up the patty, flip it over, and carefully shape it into an oval. Place the patty, seam-side down, on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining filling and dough balls, placing the patties on two greased baking sheets. Uncovered, let rise for about 45 minutes, until the patties rise by about 2.5 cm. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
   
10. Beat the remaining egg with 2 tablespoons of water and brush the tops of the pies with the mixture. Bake until golden brown, 25 minutes. Serve hot.