Empanada Dough 2.0

By awright0511

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dry white wine (e.g., Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening
• 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour (I use Better Batter)
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if using Better Batter)
• 3 to 4 tablespoons milk or cream (low-fat is fine, nonfat is not, nondairy substitute is fine)

Details

Servings 36

Preparation

Step 1

In a medium saucepan, place the wine, water, butter and shortening and stir to combine. Heat over medium heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is simmering (about 3 to 4 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and dump in the flour and xanthan gum. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together (it will happen quickly). Add the milk/cream by the tablespoonful, and knead into the dough until it is smooth.
Turn the dough out onto a smooth surface and knead until fairly smooth. Do NOT flour the kneading surface.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest at room temperature for an hour. I have no idea why this is necessary, but it makes the difference between dough that shatters as you roll it out, and dough that rolls out smooth as silk. Trust me.
After the dough has rested, roll until it is about 1/8-inch thick (the width of a nickel), and use a 3-inch biscuit cutter (or smaller or larger, if you prefer) to cut into rounds.
We’ll talk about fillings on Friday. Meet you back here.