Empanada Dough Recipe

Start by combining your flour and butter. If you’re using your hands, try to work quickly to avoid warming up the butter too much. You want the mixture to resemble coarse crumbs—this helps create that flaky texture once baked or fried. (Once, I used room-temperature butter, and the dough turned out too dense. Learn from my mistake—keep it cold!)

Add the egg and ½ cup of water or milk to the flour mixture. Stir just until the dough starts to come together. If it’s too dry, add a little more water, but be careful not to make it too wet. The dough should feel slightly tacky but still manageable.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it for about 5 minutes. Don’t over-knead, or your dough could become tough. You want it to be smooth and elastic. (Pro tip: If you have a stand mixer, this is the perfect time to use it—it’ll save your arms some work!)

Once the dough is smooth, divide it into 22 to 25 small balls, about 1.5 oz each. Then roll each ball into a 5 to 6-inch circle. To save time, I sometimes roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper—less mess!