Empanada Pastry Dough Recipe

How to make it

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• To Prep:
• Combine flour, lard/butter/shortening, chilled butter, and salt.
• Mix lightly with your fingers until it starts forming small, pea-sized pieces.
• Stir in the ice water, a little at a time, until it forms a dough. (A fork works well for this)
• Knead lightly until the dough comes together in a ball.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 - 12 hours.
• To Assemble Empanadas:
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it's about 1/8 inch thick.
• Cut out 12 rounds about 3 or 4 inches in diameter.
• Place about 2 tbsp filling in one half of each round, leaving about 1/2 inch of space at the edge.
• Dampen the edges with some water or the beaten egg, fold over to make a half moon, and seal the edges with your fingers or a fork.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Baking:
• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Arrange empanadas on a baking sheet and brush the tops with the beaten egg for a glaze.
• If you're making savory empanadas, sprinkle tops with black pepper. For sweet fillings, sprinkling the tops with sugar works well.
• Cut two slits in the tops so steam can escape.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden-brown.
• Serve while hot or cool on a wire rack and serve room temperature.