Using wheat flour may be a great way to add whole grain into the mix (as you pat yourself on the back for the health-conscious modification, of course), but heed my warning: It will make your empanadas’ crust hardier and chewier than using regular flour. It’s a sad fact, my friends.
Other than that, these empanadas are baked, not fried, and they’re as tasty as a slice of apple pie! (And they’re a lot easier to eat on the go.)
Utensils required: saucepan, stovetop, mixing bowl, spoon, rolling pin (or can of soda wrapped in a resealable bag), cutting board, oven mitts, baking sheet, oven, measuring cups, fork
Ingredients:
Dough:
- 3 cups flour
- 2 egg yolks, beaten
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 3-4 apples (gala works well)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Time commitment: 25-30 minutes to prepare, 14-16 minutes to bake
Steps (makes 14-16 small empanadas):
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While it heats, crack the eggs and try to drain out as much of the whites as possible. (The yolks add a richness and added dimension of flavor.) Use a fork or spoon to break the yolks and beat them into a yellow mix.
2. Next, add the water, salt and sugar to the eggs, mixing them thoroughly. Once the ingredients have been combined, pour them into a mixing bowl along with the flour. Don’t be afraid to get dirty — use your hands to knead everything together until it’s formed a dough. (Note: Stop once a basic dough has formed or you’ll risk overkneading, creating tough empanada shells.)
3. Set aside the dough for 10-12 minutes to, well, set. In the meantime, peel, core and dice the apples (in that order, please).
4. Place the chopped apples into a saucepan, adding in the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook them on medium heat, stirring continually, for about 7-9 minutes, or until the apples are soft and slightly translucent. The apples’ juices and the sugar should have caramelized into a light sauce.
5. When the apples are done, place them in the fridge to cool. Now it’s time to start rolling out the dough on the cutting board as thin as you can get it (think 1/8″ or less). If you don’t have a rolling pin, simply place a soda can in a resealable bag and use that instead. Just don’t drink the soda immediately afterward, unless you like getting sprayed with the fizzy stuff.
6. Now it’s time to cut the dough into 4-inch circles. If you don’t have a cookie cutter — or a steady hand, for that matter — just place a cup face down and trace around it. You may need to ball up the scrap pieces and re-roll the dough several times to use it all up. (Tedious, I know.)
7. Pull the apple filling out of the refrigerator, and try to resist devouring the whole thing right then and there. Instead, place about a teaspoon to a tablespoon’s worth of the filling on each disc of dough.Leave about half an inch uncovered on all sides so the filling will be less likely to seep out.
8. Whew — you’re almost done! Time to start flipping the dough in half, creating semi-circle shapes. Then, using a fork, press down on the edges of the semi-circle, crimping the empanada closed. (Hint: You may want to curl up the edges of the empanada before crimping, just to ensure that it doesn’t pop open while baking.)
9. Instead of the traditional egg wash glaze, use the excess juices from the apple filling to lightly coat the tops of the empanadas. This will give added flavor to the crust. Then, place the empanadas in the oven for 14-16 minutes, or until the crust has become a light golden brown.
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