Dough Pockets with Meat Filling (Empanadas)

Ingredients

• 0.5 cube fresh yeast (21 g)
• 125 ml lukewarm milk
• 1 pinch sugar
• 300 g flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 75 g softened butter
• 1 onion
• 1 Garlic clove
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 small jalapeño
• 400 g ground beef
• Salt
• black pepper (ground)
• 2 tbsp crème fraîche
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs (as needed)
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. 1.

   Crush the yeast and mix with milk and sugar. Combine flour and salt, place in a bowl, make a well in the center, add the egg yolk, butter, and yeast mixture, and knead with dough hooks until smooth. Add more flour or milk if needed so the dough is tacky but not crumbly. Shape into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

2. 2.

   Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F) on both top and bottom heat.

3. 3.

   For the filling, peel and finely chop the onion and garlic; sauté in hot oil until translucent. Halve the bell pepper and jalapeño, remove seeds and white membranes, wash, and finely chop along with the peppers. Add to the onions and cook briefly. Stir in the ground beef and brown until crumbly. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in crème fraîche, tomato paste, and parsley. If the mixture is too wet, fold in a little breadcrumbs.

4. 4.

   Roll out the chilled dough on a floured surface to about 3 mm thickness and cut circles (≈15 cm diameter) with a round cutter. Place filling in the center of each circle, brush edges with egg white, fold into half-moons, and seal the edges with a fork. Beat the yolk with 1–2 tbsp water and brush the tops of the empanadas. Bake in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes until golden brown.