Vegan Sourdough Empanadas

Like everyone else, I’ve been nurturing a sourdough starter. I’ve learned a lot, which I may eventually outline in another post (for instance: be prepared to somehow get flour over every surface of your house).

I haven’t made sourdough bread yet (and may never make sourdough bread, if I’m being honest), but I’ve made all kinds of other delicious things. And the hunt for more continues, because sourdough never stops. You’ve always got more sourdough no matter what you do to slow it down.

Yesterday, I found this recipe for a empanada dough. I veganized it and then used totally different fillings. I doubled the dough recipe, initially thinking I would freeze half, but I ended up using all of it and then freezing half of the cooked empanadas.

This dough turned out GREAT. I will definitely use it for all kinds of other fillings, which will totally not end up being empanadas but will be some kind of stuffed dough things.

Also, this dough came out extremely wet even though I used less of the liquid and more of the flour than the base recipe called for. I was worried it wasn’t going to turn out, but I added a bit of flour after the final rise and it was perfect.

Here’s my version of the dough:

• 600 grams (about 5 cups) all-purpose flour
• 170 grams (about 12 tablespoons) vegan butter (I used Miyoko’s)
• 227 grams sourdough starter
• 2 cups nut milk (I used soy); the recipe says you may need more, but that was not my experience
• 85 grams (about 2/3 cup) sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Here’s how I made it:

1. I added the flour and butter to my KitchenAid mixing bowl and then used the whisk to crumble the butter into the flour.
2. I switched to the dough hook and added the rest of the ingredients and let that mix until a dough ball formed. (You may need to add more milk or flour to get the right consistency; mine was a bit sticky but a pretty good ball at the end.)
3. I put the dough in an oiled bowl, covered it, and let is rise in a warm spot for about 8 hours. (I used the proofing setting of my steam oven.) The original recipe notes the dough will be very wet at this point. It was.
4. I then turned the dough out onto a floured counter and sprinkled a bit of dough on top and kneaded that into a workable dough.
5. I had no idea now big or small to make each one. I started out with 1 oz pieces, as that’s what the NY Times recipe called for (see more on that below), but the process of filling them was taking forever so I switched to 2 oz pieces, which went a lot faster and cooked up exactly the same. Recommend.

I made two different fillings.

The first was a variation of this NY Times recipe (just the filling part). I sauteed these ingredients (I added the broth and green onions at the end):

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 package of Impossible burger
• 3 diced red potatoes
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• Dash cayenne
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup non-beef broth (simmer until mostly gone)
• 1/2 cup minced green onion

The second filling was a variation of this recipe. I sauteed the onions first, then added everything else except the and cheese, let them simmer a few minutes, then added the cheese at the end.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 can kidney beans
• 2 cloves garlic, mined
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup diced pickled jalapenos
• 1 cup no beef broth
• 1 cup shredded vegan cheese (I used Miyoko’s, which I ordered from Vegan Essentials)

I ended up eventually going with 2 oz balls of dough that I flattened out then filled with a tablespoon or so of filling. I brushed the edges with a little water and then sealed everything up.

I put them on a baking sheet (several baking sheets) and brushed the tops with aquafaba. I baked them at 375 for about 20 minutes.

I had them with guacamole, although some type of sour cream would also be delicious.