Daring Bakers’ Challenge September 2012 – Dessert Empanadas

Patri of the blog, Asi Son Los Cosas, was our September 2012 Daring Bakers’ hostess and she decided to tempt us with one of her family’s favorite recipes for empanadas! We were given two dough recipes to choose from and encouraged to fill our empanadas as creatively as we wished!

 

Can you believe we’ve come to the end of September already?  I could swear it was June just last week. 

At the beginning of the month I was excited to see the upcoming challenge was an empanada.  I enjoy playing with yeast.  You take this small envelope of teeny, tiny pellets, add some flour and warm liquid, and before you know it, that wonderful smell fills your kitchen. 

My first attempt wasn’t all I hoped it would be.  The dough was perfect, but the filling didn’t quite work.  Also, the beautiful dough leaves I painted with tinted egg wash looked great before I put them in the oven.  When they came out, however. . .well, I’ll show you in another post.  I have bread pudding plans in the works.

Determined not to be defeated by a dessert, I got back into the kitchen the next day with a tweaked filling recipe and – voila!  You can’t go wrong with cinnamon and pecans.

Dessert Empanadas (dough adapted from Daring Bakers’ Challenge)

Filling

8 oz cream cheese, 

    room temperature

1/3 c sugar

2 t cinnamon

2 egg yolks

1 t vanilla

½ c chopped pecans

Cream together cream cheese and sugar until fluffy.  Beat in cinnamon, egg yolks, and vanilla and combine thoroughly.  Stir in pecans and chill mixture until ready to use.

Dough

5 1/3 c bread flour

1 T cinnamon

2 T sugar
1 packet (1 T) dry yeast
2 c lukewarm water (about 85°F)
2 t salt

approx.  4 T oil
1 egg, for egg wash

cinnamon sugar, if desired for decoration

In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, sugar, and yeast.  Dissolve salt in water and slowly add to flour mixture as you stir together the dough.  I prefer to mix the dough with my hands.  It’s easy to “feel” when the dough is ready, plus it’s fun to play with your food.  Add enough water to incorporate all the flour into the dough.

Knead the dough for 10 minutes (this is great for stress release) or use dough hooks in your stand mixer and knead on low for 6 minutes.  Oil a large bowl and place the dough in it.  Cover with a towel and place in a warm, draft-free spot.  Let rise for 40 to 50 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Roll out half the dough on a well-floured surface. I found it helps to stretch out the dough by hand first and then use a rolling pin.  Transfer the dough to a floured or parchment paper-lined baking pan or sheet.

Spread filling on the dough, leaving a ½-inch margin from the edges.  Roll out the other half of the dough and place on top of the filling.  Use your fingers to pinch together the top and bottom halves of the dough. 

Cut a hole in the top layer of the empanada to allow hot air to escape while baking.  Use any leftover dough to decorate the empanada and prick the top layer with a fork.

In a small bowl, beat together the egg and 1 T water.  Brush egg wash on the empanada and if desired, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.  If you are making one large empanada, bake for about 45 minutes.  I baked the small empanadas for about 15 minutes.  Make sure the top and bottom layers of bread are done. 

Enjoy.