This was the recipe I was asked for the most when I posted it on Instagram, so I thought it would be fair for it to be the first recipe to be posted. There's no mistake with fair-style pastry dough, it's too easy!
BUT... What is pastel?
It is a thin dough filled and fried, resulting in a crispy and very flavorful snack.
Before the recipe, a tip!
CACHAÇA!!! Yes, you need it if you want a crispy and crunchy pastry. Actually, you can use another alcoholic beverage with a high alcohol content, between 35-40%, like vodka. But in Brazil, we use cachaça!
Can you make it without alcohol? Yes, but the final result won't be as "freshly fried fair-style pastel".
PASTEL DOUGH
Ingredients:
500g of wheat flour (approximately 2 cups)
1 egg
60 ml of water (¼ cup)
22ml of oil (1 ½ tablespoons)
38ml of cachaça (2 ½ tablespoons)
3g of salt (1 teaspoon)
*Note 1: 1 cup is equal to 240-250 ml in Brazil, that's the measurement I will use. However, if you are in Sweden or elsewhere, the measuring cup is 1 dl (100 ml), so it's better to use gram measurements for the flour.
*Note 2: You will need additional flour when rolling out the dough, so besides the flour mentioned in the recipe, keep some extra flour aside to use later.
Preparation method:
In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour and salt.
In a separate bowl, crack the egg. It's recommended to use a separate bowl in case the egg is spoiled, so you don't waste all the flour. Lightly beat the egg to mix the yolk and egg white.
Return to the flour mixture and create a well in the center. Add the liquids: the beaten egg, cachaça, water, and oil.
Now it's time to mix everything! You have two options: mix by hand or use a stand mixer with the dough hook. - If mixing by hand, use a fork to gradually incorporate the flour into the liquids in the center. Once the flour has absorbed the liquids, it's time to knead the dough. The dough might seem dry and like it's not coming together, but keep kneading until it becomes smooth and soft. - If using a stand mixer, start on low speed, gradually adding the ingredients. Once everything is incorporated, let the mixer knead the dough until it reaches a soft and smooth consistency.
Once the dough is smooth and soft, you can roll it out. You have two options: use a rolling pin or an electric pasta machine. Roll the dough to approximately 2mm thickness, as that's the ideal thickness. Not too thin that it tears when filled and not too thick that it doesn't turn crispy.
Wrap the rolled-out dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. This resting time is important; if you skip it, the dough may open up while frying.
After the 2-hour resting period, the dough is ready. You can fill it with whatever you like. The traditional fillings include ground beef or cheese, but chicken with cream cheese or shrimp also work well. You can also go for sweet fillings like banana with Nutella, dulce de leche, or guava paste with cheese. Use your creativity and add your favorite fillings.
Fry the pastries in hot oil. The oil temperature should be around 180-190°C (356-374°F). If the oil is too cold, the pastries will become oily, and if it's too hot, they may brown on the outside without cooking the filling properly (e.g., melting the cheese). #Tip: Don't fry too many pastries at once, as it will cause the oil temperature to drop quickly, resulting in greasy pastries. Fry only 1 to 2 pastries at a time.
Storage:
If you don't want to eat the pastries immediately or have leftover dough, that's perfectly fine! This dough can be stored in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or frozen. It can be frozen for 2-3 months in the freezer. To use it later, simply thaw and assemble the pastries as usual.
Please note that when stored in the refrigerator, the dough may become slightly grayish and drier at the edges. However, you can still use it and fry your delicious pastries, as they will turn out great after frying.
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