Baked Empanada

Empanadas are generally deep-fried. I still love those deep-fried versions, but this time around I opted for a slightly healthier way of making them. Hence, comes my friend, the oven.

It'll still has that crisp crust with a touch of chewyness and without the oil. Very delish and goes well with a salad.


Empanada Dough

2 c Cake Flour
2 Large Eggs
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 c Butter or margarine (softened and cut into pieces)

Combine all ingredients together until its one large mass. You can mix these ingredients together in the food processor to make it go faster.

If mixing my hand, put the flour in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add all the ingredients and mix until it almost forms into a dough blob.

Knead the dough a few times, form into a ball and wrap it tight in saran wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 30min.



Filling:

1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground chicken
1 garlic clove (minced)
1/2 medium onion (small diced)
Salt & Pepper to season

Optional:
Sun-dried tomatoes
potatoes
raisins


In a skillet, heat some oil. When the oil is hot, add in the garlic and onions. Cook the onion until translucent. Then add the ground pork and chicken and any of the optional ingredients.



Putting it all together:

Preheat oven 375˚F

Have an egg wash on hand (1 egg beaten with 2 Tbsp of water) for sealing the dough a coating before baking.

Remove the dough from the fridge. Unwrap the dough and place on a flat well-floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough - 1/8" thick (like a pie crust) Cut out the circles using a cookie cutter or some other round item. This will make roughly 12 rounds. You'll want them around 4 inches in diameter.

Place a small amount of filling on one side. Brush some of the egg wash on the edges of the unused side, then fold over into a half-moon shape. Crimp the edges to your desired crimp "design" and place on a lightly greased baking sheet, if not using a silpat. Brush some of the egg wash over the top of each empanada.

Bake these for roughly 25 min or until the the crust has a goldben brown color.


Note: Keep in mind that dough has the tendency to dry out, so place a damp cloth or paper towel over the finished pieces and unused dough to keep them moist.