We\u2019re celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month! We\u2019re learning about empanadas and how to make pastry dough from scratch. This dough technique (cutting cold butter into flour) is similar to making pie crusts, biscuits, scones, pasties, turnover dough, and other pastries. This process creates tiny air pockets (the butter) in your dough, which when baked will help expand your dough and make a flaky layer.<\/p>\n
In this lesson \u2014 as with many of our other Out of the Pantry teen cooking classes \u2014 we focus on creating a dish using simple, easily accessible ingredients which are *mostly* from the pantry, and do not use special equipment (such as mixers or food processors). We also use a recipe that can be completed within two hours from start to finish.<\/p>\n
There are many ways to make and seal empanadas, but this lesson reviews just the basics. Participants are making semi-sweet pumpkin empanadas \u2014 perfect for breakfast, snacking, or as a side dish. The filling will be made using canned pumpkin puree, but it can be substituted with fresh pumpkin puree.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Empanadas are hand-sized pies. They can be mini or large, fried or baked, sweet or savory. There are also many ways to seal empanadas. Many restaurants and bakeries use a different seal for each flavor; the seal identifies which filling is inside.<\/p>\n The origins are unknown, but they most likely first appeared in Argentina, made by immigrants from northern Spain. The name \u201cempanada\u201d comes from the Spanish verb \u201cempanar,\u201d which means bread wrapped.<\/p>\n Many countries have their own version of an \u201cempanada.\u201d They may be known by different names such as pasties, hand-pies, and turnovers, with slight variations of the dough, technique, or fillings.<\/p>\n This video was edited from the live cooking class and practice session. Please read through the recipe before watching the recording.<\/p>\nWhat are empanadas?<\/h3>\n
Let\u2019s get started!\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n