Amazing Empanada Dough Recipe

This is a great recipe that I recently found. For Ramadan, I have been making it for my family quite often and everyone LOVES them. In Syria, we have almost the same appetizer, called "Sambousikk" It consists of the same crispy, soft dough, with a filling of some sort, usually ground beef, seasonings, and pinenuts.
For this post, I am providing the recipe for the dough. However, you can be creative and stuff it with just about anything! I've done it with ground beef, crab meat (kind of like rangoons), mozzarella cheese, and spinach. It's really your call.

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 egg, and 1 egg white
• 1 tsp vinegar (or lemon juice)
• 3 tblspn shortening or butter

1. In a medium bowl, beat: water, eggs, vinegar together and set aside.
2. In another larger bowl, mix: 3 cups of flour and salt.
3. "Cut" the butter/shortening into the flour. What I like to do is just take slices of butter and cut them up with a knife into little cubes, and and them into the flour.Mix all of these ingredients well. Then, make a well in the middle of the bowl. All you have to do is start from the middle, and using your hands or a spoon, push the flour mix away from the center until you can see the bottom of the bowl in the middle.
4. In this small well, pour the liquid ingredients from step 1.
5. Slowly mix the ingredients, until most of the flour seems to be mixed. I like to also knead the dough a little with one hand to make sure it is well incorporated.
6. Wrap this dough and place in a refrigerator for about 1 hour. It is easier to work with if the butter is cold and not warm.
7. When you are ready, take out the dough and on a floured surface, roll out the dough with a rolling pin. I find it best to work with one half at a time.
8. Roll out the dough very thinly. Then, using some kind of round cutter (I just use a large cup), cut out round parts of dough, as many as you can fit. Remove the excess dough surroundings.
9. In the middle of each round, spoon some of the filling you are using. Once this is done, fold over one side of the round until it touches the other side and press down all around. Pick up the Semi-circle, and with the other hand, pinch the sides until all of the side is sealed so none of it leaks into the the oil.
10. Once all of the empanadas are ready, heat oil in a deep saucepan on high heat. Carefully place each one in the oil and fry for about 3-4 minutes, or until you can see that the dough is a light brown. Remove from the oil and place on a plate with napkins spread to catch excess oil.