Ah, you’re talking about flaky Mexican empanadas! These are delicious pastries with a tender, buttery, and crisp crust, usually filled with sweet or savory fillings. The “flaky” texture comes from cold butter or lard worked into the dough, similar to making pie crust. Here’s a detailed breakdown:
Ingredients for Flaky Dough
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2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
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½ tsp salt
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1 tsp sugar (optional, more for sweet empanadas)
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½ cup cold unsalted butter (or lard), cut into small cubes
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⅓ to ½ cup cold water (ice-cold)
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1 egg (for egg wash, optional, for golden crust)
Basic Method
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Mix dry ingredients: Flour, salt, sugar.
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Cut in butter: Use a pastry cutter, fork, or fingers to mix butter into the flour until it looks like coarse crumbs.
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Add water: Slowly add cold water until dough comes together. Don’t overwork it!
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Chill dough: Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.
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Roll out: Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to about ⅛ inch thick.
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Cut circles: Use a cup or round cutter (about 4-6 inches).
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Fill: Sweet options – pumpkin, sweet potato, apple, cajeta (goat milk caramel). Savory – cheese, chicken, beef.
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Seal: Brush edges with water, fold, press edges with a fork.
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Bake: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Brush with egg wash and bake 20-25 min until golden.
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Optional topping: Sprinkle sugar for sweet empanadas while warm.
Tips for Maximum Flakiness
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Cold ingredients: Butter and water should be cold; some people even chill the flour.
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Don’t overwork dough: Over-kneading develops gluten and makes it tough.
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Layering butter: You can do a simple fold-and-roll like puff pastry for extra flakiness.
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Use lard: Traditional Mexican empanadas often use lard instead of butter, which gives an even flakier, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
If you want, I can give you a classic Mexican sweet empanada recipe with pumpkin or cajeta filling that comes out perfectly flaky every time.