Empanada Gallega

Use organic ingredients whenever possible.

Sift the flours together into a bowl (I used the bowl of a stand mixer). Stir in the salt and yeast.

Mix the water and oil together in a saucepan over low heat. Warm the water and oil to between 90° and 110°F using a thermometer. Pour the water and oil over the flour and stir to combine.

Knead the dough mixture for 8 minutes by hand or 5 minutes with a stand mixer using the dough hook attachment.

Lightly oil another bowl, put the dough in and cover it with a towel. Let it rise for 40-60 minutes in a warm place. Make the filling while it rises.

Heat the oil in a skillet over a medium low heat.

Peel and dice the onion. Add the onion into the oil and stir to coat the onion in the oil. Heat until onion starts to soften.

Peel and finely dice the garlic. Add it to the onion and stir. If you’re using the bell pepper, remove the stem and seeds then dice it and add it to the pan. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes and the corn. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Meatless Ground (meat substitute), salt and paprika and stir well. Turn the heat to medium high and cook off any excess liquid.
Turn the heat off and let the filling cool to room temperature.

When the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it into a ball.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Cut the dough ball into two equal pieces. Cover one piece with the towel.

Roll out the other piece on a sheet of floured wax paper into a 14″ round. Transfer the dough to a perforated pizza pan.

Put the filling on top of the dough, leaving an inch of uncovered dough all around the outside edge.

Roll the second piece of dough out on a sheet of floured wax paper. Cut small vent holes in the dough. Transfer the dough to cover the filling. Fold and crimp the edges of the dough together. See my related blog link for my method.

Brush the top of the empanada with the melted butter substitute. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden in color.

When done remove it from the oven and allow to cool a few minutes before cutting.