Argentine empanada dough

Argentine empanada dough recipe . In terms of dough, many of you have already trusted the blog, homemade pizza dough is one of our best-known recipes, that’s why you will surely trust the dough that I present below.

Argentinian empanadas are usually small, individual, a little larger than what would be called empanadillas in Spain. The dough is made with wheat flour and beef fat, generally.

I always bought the dough for Argentine empanadas at the supermarket in Plaza España, a specialist in Argentine products, from Alfajores de Maicena , the famous dulce de leche or the dough to make the fraile balls . Although this type of tapas, discs or rounds for ready-made (and frozen) empanadas in many supermarkets and most are of good quality, I like the “ La Salteña ” brand for empanadas, they are quite cheap.

But logically they cannot be compared to making them at home, you freeze what is left and you know what ingredients they are prepared with. An Argentine friend who lives in the neighborhood, Anita, has given me her grandmother’s recipe to make dough from Argentine homemade empanadas. Since I tried it I did not buy again, they are incredible and cost very little to make.

A dough similar to Creole empanadas, dry and soft … I explain step by step how to make the dough for the Argentine empanada as they explained to me and in another separate recipe I will explain how to make Argentine Creole empanadas . Do you cheer up?

Preparation of the dough for tapas of classic Argentine empanadas

1. In a large bowl we introduce part of the flour. We leave about 4 tablespoons of flour separate to fatten the dough.
2. In the center of the bowl, with a spoon we make a hole, and introduce the butter or chopped butter and the egg.
3. Beat with a wooden spoon from the center outwards and gradually mix with the flour.
4. Add the oil. In a glass of warm water we dissolve the tablespoon of salt. We are gradually pouring the water and continue to stir what begins to be the dough. A soft and elastic dough will remain.
5. We prepare the area where we are going to knead, for example the kitchen counter is perfect. We fill the area of ​​the counter with flour, remove the dough from the bowl and begin to work the dough with your hands.
6. Little by little we can manipulate the dough more quickly, it will remain elastic and homogeneous. This process takes about 10 minutes. We are turning the dough into a ball.
7. We bowl the bowl with flour. We introduce the dumpling into it. We cover the bowl with a cotton cloth and put it in the fridge for 3 hours. It is important that the dough cool down.
8. We take the dough out of the fridge and wait 15 minutes before starting to prepare the Argentine dumplings.

You can see all the photos of the step by step of this Argentine empanada dough  in this album.

Tips for a delicious Argentinian empanada dough

• The filling varies from province to province; It is mainly based on beef or chicken, plus different dressings such as onions, eggs, olives, raisins and in some provinces even potatoes or peas.
• It is something similar to Galicia, in each area they are made in a way and nobody has the perfect empanada label . The great difference between this dough and the bread is yeast, this type does not carry.
• While I recommend preparing the dough at home, you know that it is as fresh as possible and you can also personalize the dough by adding spices or aromatics to give it more flavor and complement or contrast with our favorite fillings.
• It seems like many steps but the truth is that in the end you will realize that it goes fast. From the moment you start in the bowl until you have it ready, it takes about 20 minutes.
• If you have leftovers, you can freeze the leftover dough. In the next recipe I will explain the second part, the filling. It is best to freeze the bases or circles of the prepared pie.

Another option: dough for fried Argentine empanadas.

From Argentina, Valentina, a follower has sent me the dough she prepares at home. He usually uses it to make fried Creole empanadas. It is worth any of the 2 you have in the recipe, although this remains as puff pastry (similar to frozen tapas that can be bought in Spain).

• Ingredients : 940 grs. flour 0000; 30 gr. of salt; 2 gr. freshly ground black pepper; 450 cc of water.
• Fill : 190 grs. margarine; 60 grs. Of flour. Fat can be butter, margarine or fat; The hydration of the pie crusts should never exceed 55%, including fat.
• Preparation : We begin with the preparation, we must clean the table and prepare all the ingredients. For the filling, we unite the ingredients, then we cover them with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge for 20 minutes. To make the dough, we prepare a crown with the flour, place in the center the salt, black pepper and water, mix until all the elements are integrated. Knead for 8 minutes until you get a smooth, smooth dough. Let rest and cover with plastic wrap and preserve. We remove the two masses from the fridge, we stretch the largest. Place the filling in the center of the table, close, stretch with stick or spoon. We take a turn, simple, cover with film and cool for another 20 minutes. We already have our Argentine empanadas ready.