Golden Crisp Empanada Dough Recipe: Your Sure-Fire Success Path

Crafting the perfect empanada dough recipe can be a delightful culinary adventure that sparks joy in every kitchen.

Home bakers have long sought a foolproof empanada dough that delivers consistent, flaky results every single time.

Perfecting this essential pastry foundation requires a blend of simple ingredients and precise techniques.

Authentic Latin American cuisine celebrates these delicate, hand-held pockets of deliciousness that bring people together around the table.

Butter, flour, and a few secret touches create a tender, versatile dough that serves as the canvas for endless savory and sweet fillings.

Each golden, crisp bite promises a moment of pure gastronomic pleasure.

Get ready to master a recipe that will become your go-to for creating mouthwatering empanadas that will impress everyone at your next gathering.

Mixing and Rolling Empanada Dough

• Combine Dry Ingredients

Grab your mixing bowl and toss in flour, salt, and optional sugar. Whisk everything together until perfectly blended.

• Work in the Butter

Drop cold butter pieces into the flour mixture. Use your fingers or a pastry tool to break down butter until the mix looks like rough, sandy crumbs.

• Create Dough Base

Crack an egg into a separate bowl and mix with cold water and vinegar. Pour this liquid slowly into the flour mixture, stirring gently until a soft dough starts forming.

• Shape and Rest the Dough

Transfer the dough onto a clean surface. Knead briefly and tenderly until it forms a smooth ball. Avoid overworking to keep the texture light and flaky.

• Chill and Prepare

Wrap the dough in plastic and tuck into the refrigerator for at least half an hour. This resting period helps the gluten relax and makes rolling easier.

• Roll and Cut

On a flour-dusted countertop, roll the chilled dough to a thin, even thickness. Use a round cutter or glass rim to create perfect dough circles for your empanadas.

Tips to Get Empanada Dough Just Right

• Butter Temperature Trick: Keep butter ice-cold and cut into small cubes to ensure a flaky, tender empanada crust that practically melts in your mouth.
• No-Fail Dough Handling: Work quickly and minimally when mixing to prevent the butter from warming up, which can make the dough tough and less crispy.
• Gluten-Free Option: Swap wheat flour with a gluten-free blend, adding a teaspoon of xanthan gum to help bind the dough and maintain its structure.
• Make-Ahead Magic: Prepare the dough up to 2 days in advance and store in the refrigerator, or freeze for up to 3 months for ultimate convenience.
• Vegan Adaptation: Replace butter with cold coconut oil or vegan shortening, and use a flax egg (ground flaxseed mixed with water) instead of a regular egg to create a plant-based version of the dough.

Serving Ideas for Homemade Empanadas

• Festive Flavor Companions: Pair these golden empanadas with a zesty chimichurri sauce for a tangy kick that complements the rich pastry.
• Crowd-Pleasing Plating: Arrange empanadas on a rustic wooden board with small ramekins of salsa, guacamole, and sour cream for interactive dipping.
• Party-Perfect Presentation: Create a colorful side salad with mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, and a light citrus vinaigrette to balance the empanadas' hearty texture.
• Weekend Brunch Brilliance: Serve alongside scrambled eggs and fresh fruit for a delightful weekend morning spread that will impress family and friends.

How to Save Extra Empanada Dough

• Fridge-Fresh Strategy: Store wrapped empanada dough in an airtight container for up to 48 hours before preparing. Keep the dough chilled to maintain its flaky texture and prevent bacterial growth.
• Freezer-Friendly Technique: Wrap raw dough tightly in plastic film, then place inside a sealed freezer bag. Freeze uncooked dough for maximum 3 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator before rolling and filling.
• Make-Ahead Magic: Prepare dough batches in advance during weekends. Portion into individual packages, label with date, and stack in freezer for quick weeknight cooking sessions.
• Smart Portioning Hack: Divide chilled dough into individual serving sizes. Roll and cut circles, stack between parchment paper sheets, and refrigerate. This allows quick access and minimal prep time when hunger strikes.

Quick Recipe Overview

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Calories: 210 kcal

Servings: 12

Ingredients for Perfect Empanada Dough

• Flour: The foundation of the dough, providing structure and texture with its protein-rich base.
• Salt: Enhances flavor and helps control yeast activity in the dough.
• Sugar: Optional ingredient that adds subtle sweetness and helps with browning.

• Butter: Creates flaky, tender texture with its cold, solid state that creates layers when worked into the dough.

• Egg: Provides rich flavor, helps bind ingredients, and contributes to golden color when baked.
• Cold Water: Ensures tender dough by preventing gluten overdevelopment and keeping butter cold.
• Vinegar: Helps relax gluten, making the dough more tender and easier to work with.

Tools to Shape the Best Empanadas

• Large bowl: Perfect for mixing dry ingredients and creating dough.
• Pastry cutter or fork: Essential for cutting butter into flour mixture.
• Whisk: Helps blend dry and wet ingredients smoothly.
• Small bowl: Used for mixing egg, water, and vinegar.
• Rolling pin: Critical for rolling out dough to even thickness.
• Cookie cutter or glass rim: Needed to cut dough into circular shapes.
• Plastic wrap: Used for wrapping and chilling dough.
• Lightly floured surface: Provides workspace for kneading and rolling dough.

Foolproof Empanada Dough Recipe

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4.5 from 13 reviews

• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 13 1x

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Description

Crafting delicious empanada dough requires simple ingredients and basic techniques for pastry perfection. Home cooks can master this versatile recipe with flour, butter, salt, and water to create authentic Latin American pastry shells.

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Ingredients

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• 1 large egg
• 2.5 cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, cold and diced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar (optional, for sweeter dough)
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) cold water (plus more, if needed)
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) white vinegar

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Instructions

1. Prep Dry Base: Whisk flour, salt, and optional sugar in a spacious mixing bowl, ensuring even distribution of dry ingredients.
2. Butter Integration: Cut cold, diced butter into flour mixture using pastry cutter or fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs, creating a foundational texture.
3. Liquid Binding: Whisk egg with chilled water and vinegar, forming a uniform liquid that will unite the dough’s components and provide structural integrity.
4. Dough Formation: Pour liquid into flour-butter mixture, stirring gently with a fork until ingredients merge into a cohesive preliminary dough, avoiding overmixing.
5. Kneading and Resting: Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, gently knead until smooth, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes to relax gluten and enhance rollability.
6. Rolling and Shaping: Remove chilled dough, roll to 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface, and cut precise rounds using a circular cutter or glass rim, preparing for empanada assembly.

Notes

• Chill Ingredients Thoroughly: Keep butter and water extremely cold to achieve a flaky, tender dough texture that prevents tough pastry.
• Handle Dough Minimally: Overworking causes gluten development, resulting in dense, chewy empanada shells instead of delicate, light pastry.
• Rest and Relax Dough: Refrigeration allows gluten to settle and butter to firm, ensuring easier rolling and better structural integrity during baking.
• Consistent Thickness Matters: Roll dough evenly to 1/8 inch to guarantee uniform cooking and prevent uneven browning or undercooked sections.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Snacks, Appetizer, Lunch
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Latin American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 13
• Calories: 158
• Sugar: 0.2 g
• Sodium: 123 mg
• Fat: 9.5 g
• Saturated Fat: 5.7 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 3.8 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 16.7 g
• Fiber: 0.6 g
• Protein: 2.6 g
• Cholesterol: 20 mg