Homemade phyllo dough takes about 2.5 hours with Chef John’s Allrecipes method, which home cooks rate 4.7 out of 5.
Homemade phyllo dough starts with flour, oil and water
Phyllo, also written as filo, is the paper-thin pastry behind baklava, spanakopita and other Greek pies. Most home cooks buy it frozen. Still, Chef John Mitzewich shows that homemade phyllo dough is within reach when the mix rests and you roll layers.
Allrecipes says the approach beats opening a supermarket packet, and the sheets freeze well for later. Greek City Times has previously profiled the last traditional phyllo master, whose craft treats hand-rolled pastry as a skill rather than a shortcut.
The same pastry turns up across Greek City Times recipes, from a Lemonopita lemon pie to a rose-shaped dessert. As a result, a batch of homemade phyllo dough can feed several of those dishes without another ftrip to the freezer
For a short primer on the pastry itself, see Wikipedia’s entry on filo. Baklava also remains one of the best-known uses. TasteAtlas summarises classic baklava for context before you bake.
Ingredients for Chef John pastry
The Allrecipes yield is about 20 sheets, or eight serves. For servings, homemade phyllo dough needs pantry staples plus a cornstarch mix that keeps layers from sticking.
- 2 cups plain flour, plus more for kneading, with 5 teaspoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ¾ cup warm water (110°F / 43°C) and 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- ½ cup cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons plain flour, for dusting while rolling
Chef John notes that finished sheets can wrap baklava. Rolled homemade phyllo dough also keeps in the freezer for up to three months when sealed well. Thaw it overnight in the fridge. Each serving comes to about 178 calories, according to the Allrecipes nutrition panel.
How to knead, rest and roll the sheets
Preparation takes about 30 minutes. The ball then rests for 1 to 2 hours, so Chef John’s full timeline is about 150 minutes. Measure the cornstarch mix before you divide, since rolling moves in batches.
- Place the flour in a bowl and make a well. Drizzle in the olive oil and add the salt.
- Pour in the warm water and vinegar. Mix for 10 to 12 minutes, until the mass pulls away from the bowl.
- Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth, then until elastic, as Chef John directs.
- Wrap the ball and rest it at room temperature for one to two hours, as Chef John does.
- Divide into twenty 20-gram portions. Roll each into a ball and cover so they do not dry out. Work in batches of five.
- Dust the bench and first ball with cornstarch mix. Flatten to about 5 inches (13 cm), dust again, and stack four more circles.
- Roll the stack larger, separate, re-dust, and restack until paper-thin, about 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm). Homemade phyllo dough is ready.
- Use at once, or layer between parchment, roll up gently, wrap, and refrigerate. Repeat with the remaining balls in batches of five.
When you want the sheets later, Chef John says the wrapped rolls freeze for up to three months. Then thaw them overnight in the refrigerator to keep them pliable.
Tips from home cooks
More than 40 home cooks have rated this homemade phyllo dough on Allrecipes. Member CCC wrote: “My first time making phyllo dough and this recipe produced perfect phyllo!”
Elizabeth Aires added: “Never imagined I could make phyllo. Mine was so thin it was translucent.” Several reviewers also needed extra cornstarch mix, so keep a spare bowl ready. Chrissy noted that about twice the dusting kept her baklava layers free.
Others stretched the sheets with a pasta roller after the hand work, then used them in spanakopita. In particular, rest the ball fully before you roll homemade phyllo dough. Dust generously between layers. Separate the stack before the final roll so the sheets do not weld together.
The original full recipe page is on Allrecipes, along with Chef John’s video. Finally, a quiet afternoon and a clean bench are all you need to skip the frozen box and roll your own sheets.
Source: Allrecipes
The post Homemade Phyllo Dough: How to Make Paper-Thin Greek Pastry at Home appeared first on Greek City Times.