Readers of my blog will know that I make my own phyllo and that’s the route I take when making savory and sweet pies. However, one of Greece’s most popular pastries has to be Bougatsa, a method of making phyllo dough by opening it in the air, stretching it out until it’s as thin as onion skin.
A filling of custard, cheese, meat or spinach (There’s even a sketi/no filling version) gets place in the center of the dough and it gets wrapped up like an envelope. Then it gets baked until golden and served often as a breakfast offering.
I know most people won’t go to such lengths to make a bougatsa but if you were given an easy home version, then you may be tempted to try at home.
ELA….let’s make bougatsa!
Bougatsa Me Krema
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Featured, Vegetarian8
servings1
hour30
minutesIngredients
10 sheets of phyllo pastry
2/3 cup melted unsalted butter
- For the Filling
4 cups of whole milk
2/3 cup white sugar
2/3 cup fine semolina flour
2 tsp. corn starch
2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 stick of butter
pinch of salt
Directions
- To make the custard, to a medium pot add the milk, sugar, semolina, corn starch and turn heat on to medium. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens to a custard consistency.
- Take off the heat, add the vanilla, butter, salt and stir in. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool to almost/room temperature.
- Place a sheet of phyllo on your work surface and brush with melted butter. Place another 3 sheets of phyllo on top, brushing each sheet with butter.
- Brush the 5th sheet of phyllo and fold in half and place in the center of your other phyllo sheets.
- Spread half your custard on the center of your phyllo. Brush the bottom and top flaps of phyllo and fold up/over your custard then do the same with the right and left flaps.
- Carefully invert and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Repeat the above process with the remaining phyllo sheet and custard to make your second bougatsa.
- Brush the tops of your bougatsas with butter and place in a pre-heated 360F oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden.
- Allow bougatsas to cool for 20 minutes before serving.
- Transfer bougatsa to a cutting board and cut into bite sized squares and dust with powdered sugar and ground cinnamon and serve.
Notes
- This recipe makes two bougatsas. You may assemble and freeze then bake from frozen if you wish (one or both). If you only wish to make one, then make half a recipe.
- Make a dairy free version using soy milk and brush phyllo with melted margarine .
- Sign up for my next Phyllo From Scratch Cooking Class
