Phyllo or filo is a delicious, crunchy, thin pastry dough. The word "Phyllo" in Greek means "leaf". You can guess why this dough is called filo. This dough is perfect for making savory parcels, Greek cheese pies, samosas, and even spring rolls. You can buy ready-made filo dough, but it's a lot more fun to make it from scratch, although it can take a bit of time.
Ingredients
- 2 and 2/3 cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 grams) salt
- 1 cup water, minus 2 tablespoons (210 ml)
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, add a little to grease the dough
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) cider vinegar
Step
Part 1 of 2: Making the Dough
Step 1. Using a mixer, mix the flour and salt on low speed
Use a paddle attachment if possible.
Step 2. Combine water, oil and vinegar in a separate bowl
Don't worry if it's not well mixed. Add the mixture to the flour mixture.
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Let the dough knead on low speed.
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Step 3. Continue kneading the dough with the paddle stirrer until smooth for 1 minute
Stir the dough until well blended. Add a little water if the dough is too dry.
Step 4. Replace the paddle stirrer with a hook attachment and continue stirring for 10 minutes
The hook stirrer will stimulate the kneading, and this is very important for adding elasticity to the filo dough.
If you don't have a stand mixer and want to knead the dough by hand - may God bless you - be prepared to knead the dough for about 20 minutes
Step 5. Remove the dough from the mixer and continue kneading by hand for 2 minutes
While kneading, pick up the dough and toss it on the table a few times to release any trapped air.
Step 6. Use about 1 tablespoon of olive or vegetable oil to coat the entire dough
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When it is greased, let the dough rest in a medium bowl and then wrap it with plastic wrap. Let stand for 30 minutes-2 hours until the dough is ready to use. You'll get good results (the dough will be easier to work with) if you let the dough sit longer.
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Part 2 of 2: Rolling Filo's Dough
Step 1. Cut the filo dough into equal portions
With the recipe above, this dough will make about 6-10 dough. Large dough will make large filo sheets.
While rolling out 1 piece of dough, make sure that the rest of the dough is wrapped in plastic wrap so it doesn't dry out
Step 2. Start by rolling out the dough into a round shape with a rolling pin or dowel
Dowels are suitable for rolling filo dough because of their thin shape making it easier to roll. Then, the length of the dowel also makes it easier to roll out large filo dough. For a few centimeters, roll out the filo dough as if you were rolling out pizza dough. Keep the dough shape like a circle.
While grinding, make sure to use enough flour or cornstarch. Don't use too much flour when rolling out the dough
Step 3. Continue rolling with the rolling pin or dowel by wrapping the dough around the roller or dowel and rolling back and forth
Place the dowel on the bottom of the dough. Then, wrap the dowel with the dough. With your hands or the sides of the dough, roll the dough back and forth until the dough is thin.
Step 4. Remove the dough from the dowel by rolling it towards you
Turn the dough 90°, sprinkle with a little flour, then repeat the rolling process.
Step 5. Roll the dough while rotating until the dough changes color
Step 6. Take the dough by hand then stretch the dough until it becomes thin
As with making pizza, use your hands to gently stretch the filo dough. Then, turn the dough by hand.
- This will result in a very thin dough for the amateur cake maker. In fact, it will be very difficult to produce a very thin dough like in a pastry shop.
- The filo dough will tear occasionally when you stretch it wide. You don't have to worry about those little rips. As long as the stretched dough has no oil, you won't see it when the dough is done.
Step 7. Place each of the finished filo sheets on a floured cake pan
If you want the dough to be extra crunchy, you can spread the dough with oil or melted butter on each sheet. If you want a slightly chewy filo, leave the filo unpolished.
Step 8. Repeat until 7-10 sheets of filo are arranged
You can increase the filo sheets by cutting them in half and then rearranging them. Filo dough can be frozen for later use.
Step 9. Enjoy
. Use filo to make spanakopita, baklava, or even apple pie with filo instead of pastry dough.
Tips
- Brush the dough with melted butter as it cooks to keep the filo crispy.
- Filo dough is perfect for Greek, Eastern European, and Middle Eastern dishes (especially baklava).
