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.
Ingredients
Scale
- 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
Instructions
- Prep Dry Base: Whisk flour, salt, and optional sugar in a spacious mixing bowl, ensuring even distribution of dry ingredients.
- Butter Integration: Cut cold, diced butter into flour mixture using pastry cutter or fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs, creating a foundational texture.
- Liquid Binding: Whisk egg with chilled water and vinegar, forming a uniform liquid that will unite the dough’s components and provide structural integrity.
- Dough Formation: Pour liquid into flour-butter mixture, stirring gently with a fork until ingredients merge into a cohesive preliminary dough, avoiding overmixing.
- 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.
- 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