Discover Greece’s secret breakfast: Homemade crispy bougatsa

Greeks often do not have elaborate breakfasts. Typically, they enjoy their famous yogurt, fruits, and honey. When they crave something more refined, they prepare bougatsa, a sweet pastry made from filo dough and delicious cream.

Throughout Greece, in almost every town, and sometimes even in the countryside, you can find places specializing in bougatsa. While it's delightful to have breakfast in a small café, this delicacy is also easy to make at home, even outside Greece. The main ingredient of bougatsa, filo dough, can be easily purchased in discount stores.

The first mentions of filo dough appeared as early as the 3rd century BCE. Consequently, many dishes from Greece and Turkey are based on it, including not only bougatsa but also the famous dessert baklava. Like puff pastry, filo dough requires a lot of patience and skill in its preparation. Kneading is just the beginning. The most challenging part is rolling the dough into a very thin sheet. The dough should resemble a sheet of paper. That’s why frozen filo is so popular. What are the ingredients? Primarily flour, water, oil, and vinegar. Some recipes also include egg yolks.

Planning to make bougatsa? Thaw the filo dough in the refrigerator to maintain a good consistency. When rolling and cutting, cover the individual sheets with plastic wrap or a damp cloth to prevent drying out. The dough needs to be quickly filled with the stuffing. Filo dough is much less greasy than puff pastry, so its layers need to be brushed with fat to achieve the desired light, flaky texture. Melted butter or olive oil works well, especially for savory pastries.

Ingredients:

              
• 1 lb of frozen filo dough,
• 1 quart of milk,
• 5 oz of fine semolina,
• 0.7 oz of potato or corn starch,
• 9 oz of sugar,
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract,
• Approx. 1 cup of olive oil,
• Powdered sugar and cinnamon for sprinkling.

Preparation method:

                  
1. Thaw the filo dough in the fridge the day before, but do not remove it from the packaging to prevent it from drying out.
2. In a large saucepan with a thick bottom, combine the milk, sugar, fine semolina, potato starch, and vanilla extract. Mix everything until dissolved and start heating. When it boils, it should thicken.
3. Pour the mixture into a glass bowl, cover it with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming, and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.
4. Lay out a sheet of filo dough on the counter and brush it generously with olive oil. Place another sheet of filo dough on top and brush it again with olive oil. Repeat this step once more to obtain three layers of filo dough.
5. Spread the chilled cream in the center of the prepared dough sheets, forming a large rectangle.
6. Fold the sides of the dough over one another, brushing olive oil on any exposed areas before folding, to form a rectangular package.
7. Repeat these steps with the remaining ingredients until all are used. You should have about 4 to 6 bougatsa packages.
8. Preheat the oven to 390°F.
9. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place the prepared bougatsa on it, spaced about half an inch apart.
10. Brush them thoroughly with olive oil on top, place them in the oven, and bake for about 20 minutes until they are browned. Serve them sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon.