Empanada dough (no filling recipe)

• 4 cups bread flour
• 3/4 cup lard
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 egg well beaten

1. Place the bread flour, lard, and butter in a medium mixing bowl. Rub the lard and butter into the flour until evenly blended. Easiest to do this by pinching and tossing the fats into the flour.
2. Add the salt, sugar, and half of the water and mix with your hand (I wear silicon gloves). Gradually add more water by the tablespoon to create a moist, but not sticky, dough. All the flour should be picked up.
3. Knead the dough about 10 times to finish blending the ingredients together.
4. Split the dough in half, shape into discs, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
5. Divide each disc of dough into eight pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a ball, then roll it into a six-inch circle with a rolling pin.
6. Place 1/8 cup of savory filling of your choice in the center of the circle. Brush the edge of the dough halfway around with beaten egg, then fold the dough over to create a semicircle. Press the edges firmly to seal.
7. Crimp the edges with a fork or watch a video on making a repulgue.
8. Brush with beaten egg & cut two small holes on top to vent.
9. On a parchment lined cookie sheet, Bake the empanadas in a preheated oven at 375 F for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown. If cooking two trays at once, rotate the trays halfway through for a more even bake.
10. Let the empanadas cool on wire racks for 20 minutes before serving.

I’m always looking for the right dough recipe and this is the closest I’ve gotten. I also buy pre-made empanada disks, but my family prefers this recipe. Posting just the dough recipe so my daughter can find it easily. I bake my empanadas and this dough is for baking. There are dozens of recipes out there but some only work for frying and some for baking. I found the dough works much better using lard than any other shortening. 

I often forget to vent mine and this causes them to look gloriously puffed but there is too much air in the empanada. They still taste fine. 

The next time I make them, I’ll write down my filling recipes because I just wing it every time. I make Argentine style empanadas, and I can’t find any good places that make and sell them near me. My Argentinian in laws love the ones at Tito’s market in El Monte, CA, so if you’re near there or traveling in So Cal, I highly recommend you make a trip. I haven’t been able to duplicate their dough or filling. If I travel to So Cal for business, I’ll buy 40 (20 beef and 20 chicken) pack them on ice and drive them all the way home (six hours away) but with a stop in Bakersfield to give some to my in-laws.