Description
A simple and traditional homemade empanada dough made with basic pantry ingredients, creating a soft and flexible dough that bakes or fries into perfectly golden, slightly crisp empanadas.
Ingredients
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 280 g warm water
- 100 g lard or butter
- 10 g salt
Instructions
- Place the flour in a large mixing bowl or on a clean work surface.
- Add the salt and mix lightly so it is evenly distributed.
- Add the lard or softened butter and mix with your hands until the flour mixture becomes crumbly and sandy.
- Gradually add the warm water while mixing the dough with your hands or a spatula.
- Knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until it becomes smooth, soft, and elastic.
- If the dough feels too sticky, add small amounts of flour until the texture becomes manageable.
- Shape the dough into a ball and cover it with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.
- Let the dough rest for 20 to 30 minutes so it relaxes and becomes easier to roll.
- Divide the dough into small portions.
- Roll each portion with a rolling pin until it forms circles the desired size for empanadas.
- Add your filling in the center, fold the dough over, and seal the edges by pressing with your fingers or a fork.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 20–25 minutes or fry in hot oil until golden brown.
Notes
- Allowing the dough to rest helps relax the gluten and makes rolling easier.
- You can substitute butter for lard for a softer flavor.
- If the dough becomes sticky, add flour gradually while kneading.
- This dough works well for both baked and fried empanadas.
- Roll the dough to about 2–3 mm thickness for the best texture.
- The dough can be prepared in advance and stored until ready to use.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dough
- Method: Kneading
- Cuisine: Latin American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 empanada dough portion
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 190 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
