This recipe produces a sweet dough that contrasts perfectly with savory fillings. Empanada dough is less flaky than pie crust (although you can substitute frozen pie crust dough in a pinch) - it has a tender texture that soaks up the filling. It's easier to make than a pie crust, because the fat (traditionally lard) is partially melted and kneaded into the flour with your hands.
This dough can be used for baked or fried empanandas. If you are going to fry the empanadas, roll the dough out slightly thinner (less than 1/4" thickness).
Ingredients:
- 4 cups flour
- 1-2 teaspoons salt
- 2-3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 12 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cup water
Preparation:
- Sift the flour into a bowl. Stir in the salt and the sugar.
- Melt the butter with the lard or shortening, and stir into the flour with a fork.
- Add the vegetable shortening or lard, and knead until it fairly well blended with the flour.
- Stir in the 1/2 cup of water, a little at a time until the dough comes together smoothly. Keep kneading the dough, adding water if necessary, until the dough is very smooth, about 5-10 minutes. You can knead the dough with a standing mixer and a dough hook attachment.
- Cover the dough with saran wrap and let rest on the counter for about a half hour. (Dough can also be kept overnight in the refrigerator, then brought to room temperature before using.) Dough should be soft and smooth, and not elastic - if you poke a hole in it with your finger, the indentation should remain.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and roll into desired thickness.
- Makes enough dough for 8 large empanadas.
Guide's Response to User Reviews
"Thank you for the comment about using a pie crust. I agree that it is not as good as empanada dough. If you want to make small appetizer-size empanadas and want to deep fry them instead of bake them, thinly rolled out pie crust does work well. Sometimes puff pastry (masa hojaldre) can also be used for baked empanadas, as in this recipe for ham and cheese empanadas." - Marian Blazes, Guide to South American Food
