Making homemade empanada dough is a rewarding culinary endeavour that allows you to create delicious, flaky pastries bursting with flavourful fillings. While store-bought dough is convenient, there’s something special about crafting your own dough from scratch, infusing each bite with love and care.
To begin, gather your ingredients: all-purpose flour, cold butter, salt, water, and optionally, a touch of vinegar or lemon juice for added tenderness. The key to successful empanada dough lies in keeping the ingredients cold and handling the dough gently to achieve a tender and flaky texture.
Start by combining the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and add it to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Alternatively use a food mixer, it’s so much easier.
Next, gradually add cold water to the flour-butter mixture, stirring gently with a fork or wooden spoon. The dough will begin to come together. Be careful not to overwork the dough – it should be cohesive but still slightly shaggy.
Once the dough starts to come together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Using the palm of your hands, knead it gently a few times to bring it together into a smooth ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it. Leave it for at least 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax and the butter to firm up.
After chilling, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Divide it into smaller portions, depending on how many empanadas you plan to make. Roll out each portion of dough into a thin circle or rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick, using a rolling pin.
Now, your homemade empanada dough is ready to be filled with your favourite savoury or sweet fillings. Fillings such as spiced ground beef, cheesy spinach, or fruity jam to name but a few. Once filled, fold the dough over the filling and crimp the edges with a fork to seal.
Finally, bake the empanadas in a preheated oven until golden brown and crispy, and enjoy the satisfaction of biting into a homemade pastry filled with love and flavour. Whether served as a snack, appetizer, or main course, homemade empanadas made with your own dough are sure to impress and delight with their irresistible taste and texture.
Homemade Empanada Dough is a simple South American recipe that can have a multitude of fillings and uses. You can Make this in advance and store in the fridge for 2 days. I will be adding filling recipes over the next few weeks so keep an eye out. Just a few include, tuna, beef, chicken, pork and vegetables to start with. These are ideal when served as a main dish, a side dish, a snack and ideal for lunches and picnics. While I usually serve them hot, they are lovely cold with mustard and pickles.
Homemade Empanada Dough
This simple recipe makes 15 medium perfect empanada wrappers waiting to be filled.
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Add to CollectionServings: 15 Empanadas
Calories: 182kcal
Equipment
- 1 food processor
Ingredients
- 1 large eggs free range
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups flour all purpose/plain flour
- ½ cup milk room temperature
Instructions
- I would recommend using a food processor for this recipe.
- Add the flour (all purpose or plain ) and the salt into the processor bowl.3 cups flour, ¼ tsp salt
- Add the softened butter and use the pulse button to blend.1 ½ sticks unsalted butter
- Add the free-range egg and then a little of the milk. NOTE: you may not need to use all of the milk).1 large eggs, ½ cup milk
- Pulse until the ingredients form a dough. You need a smooth dough but not a wet dough. Hence adding the milk, a little at a time.
- When your happy with the dough consistency, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and divide into two for ease of handling. If you are making this in advance, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap/clingfilm and store in the fridge to up to 2 days.
- Roll the dough into a large flat layer approx. ¼ inch/ ½ cm thick.
- Use a cutter or a small plate about 5-6 inches in diameter to make perfect filled empanadas. Alternatively, you can just cut little balls of dough off and roll them as they don’t have to be identical. Small ones for children large for adults
- etc.
- Either use immediately or store in airtight containers in the fridge or freezer.
Nutrition
Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 48mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.5g | Vitamin A: 314IU | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
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