Homemade Empanadas

Small Batch

2 cups All purpose Unbleached Wheat Flour

1 egg

1 tsp Baking Soda

Pint salt

⅓ cup Sugar

½ cup Water

1 tsp vinegar to activated the baking soda

For Larger Bach

8 cups All purpose Unbleached Wheat Flour

4 tsp Baking Soda

4 Eggs beaten

2 cups Water or Milk or Homemade Yogurt or Kefir

4 tsp vinegar (use only if water or milk is used)

1 cup Sugar

1 tsp Salt

Wrap Filling

2 lbs. Ground Meat

1-12 oz. Pork Sausage Roll

2 cups Homemade Pizza Sauce

Direction:

Filling:

Put the ground meat and sausage in the pot. Break them down and cook on medium heat until the meat is cooked. Drain off some fat if necessary. Add the pizza sauce. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool. The drained fat can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer for other cooking.

Sloppy Joe or sandwich meat leftover could be used as well.

Dough:

In a bowl add the flour and baking soda. Stir to mix.

In another bowl add beaten egg, salt, sugar, and homemade yogurt. If using milk, or water, add the vinegar. The baking soda is believed to rise the dough a little in an acid environment. Stir the wet mixture with a spoon to incorporate.

Pour the wet mixture on the flour.

By hand mix together to form a dough. If using yogurt, the dough would be less wet that if water or milk is used. It would then take few more minutes to knead the dough in order for all the ingredients to incorporate. Knead in the same bowl. Just bring the dough from one edge of the bowl to the center of the dough. Repeat the process until the dough is well mixed.

Put about 1/2 cup of flour in a bowl and ¼ cup of water in another bowl and the filling in another bowl and set these bowls next the cutting board.

Flour the board. Add fork to the water and spoon to the filling.

Take a small ball of dough and put on the floured board and roll with a roll pin to fatten.

Put about a tablespoonful of filling in the middle.

Fold to close.

Use a fork to press down.

Put on a baking dish.

Repeat the process until that bottom of the baking dish is filled with one layer of wraps.

Brush the top of the wraps with olive oil or melted fat and put few teaspoons of fat on the baking dish between the wraps. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degree F for 30 min or until brown.