Masa de Empanadilla
When
I first started making Empanadas, it was suggested to me to simply
use pie crust dough. Even though it got me by, it had a serious
drawback. Empanadas, for the most part, are a food that is
meant for travelling and pie crust dough is too weak for the task.
This resulted
in quite a few broken Empanadas.
I looked into this and found a recipe for Masa de Empanadilla in the
book The Foods and Wines of Spain by Penelope Casas. She was an
early proponent of Spanish Cuisine in the modern era. She traveled
all over Spain researching and collecting recipes. I've been
using this recipe for the dough for quite a few years
with great success.
1
Cup Water
¼
tsp Salt
3
Tbsp Butter
3
Tbsp Salad Oil
2
½ Cups Unbleached, All-Purpose Flour
1
Egg
In
a saucepan, heat the water, salt, butter, and oil over a medium flame
until the Butter is melted. Remove from the heat. Add the flour all
at once and stir until completely incorporated. Beat in the Egg with
a wooden spoon until the dough is smooth. Turn the dough onto a
floured work surface and knead briefly, adding flour if necessary,
until the dough is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky. Cover and
let sit for 30 minutes. Roll the dough very thin and cut into 3-inch
circles.
-----
Penelope
Casas, The Foods and Wines of Spain (New York City, NY: Alfred A.
Knopf, 1979), 337.
