Intro and history
Phyllo dough is a popular and integral part of Greek culinary culture but it is also commonly used in many Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisine. It is also known by as filo or fillo dough. Phyllo in Greek means leaf-like and it is the perfect word to describe the paper thin leafy sheets of dough which during the preparation process are sandwiched together and they puff up during cooking to resemble the thickly compressed pages in an old book.
Its origins are disputed and claimed by many cultures in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean region. Phyllo dough was known to have been made in Greece in the third century BCE. Some food historians believe that phyllo dough has its roots in the Byzantine time period. The Byzantines were very efficient at growing wheat and making flour and subsequently they made massive amounts of dough that they baked as bread, pastries, and other treats. Byzantine cooks were always inventing new ways to use wheat-based products. Phyllo was one of these ways and it has been part of Greek cuisine ever since. Today it’s used in popular dishes such as baklava, spanakopita, tyropita, and galaktoboureko.
It is possible that the dough was prepared even earlier during the 8th century BCE by the Assyrians. The Assyrians rolled out bread dough to form thin sheets that were then layered with nuts and honey and baked to make a crunchy pastry.
The Greeks though were the first to stretch the dough making phyllo sheets that closely resembles product of today.
Traditional phyllo-based pastry dishes aren’t just confined to Turkey and Greece though. Versions of this delicately crisp pastry have also made their way into the kitchens of central and eastern Europe in the form of the strudel pastry and as the paper-thin werqa or warkaused in North African dishes such as the Moroccan meat pie dish bisteeya and hand-held briouats.
Making phyllo dough
The process for making phyllo dough stayed remarkably consistent, made by highly skilled craftsmen by hand and the trade of phyllo dough making stayed within the families for generations. In 1946 the first phyllo dough stretching machines were made and in 1970 these machines were further honed for mass production. Frozen phyllo dough is found today in most grocery stores and super markets. Unfortunately, phyllo dough production by the traditional methods is quickly disappearing and traditional craftsmen are hard to find.
However, the traditional methods of phyllo dough making are very much alive and many country households roll their own in much smaller quantities.
To open your own phyllo dough you will need a wooden surface (traditionally round), a long, thin, wooden rolling pin and some basic ingredients – flour, water, olive oil, salt and vinegar or tsikoudia (raki) for a crispier sheet.
Flour and preparation
Housewives who open phyllo dough sheets usually prepare their dough “by the eye” and they don’t use exact ingredient portions for the recipe. What matters is that the dough is fluffy and soft, but does not stick to the hands.
The most important ingredient for a successful dough is the flour. The flour must be of good quality durum wheat, fine grained without bran and as fresh as possible. Flours that have been left for a long time have become dehydrated, so the amount of water needed varies. In the Greek kitchens we often hear the expression “as much as it can take”, referring to the adjustments the cook must make in cases like this.
The gluten content of the flour is also very important because it is directly related to the rising, the elasticity but also whether the dough “spreads” or not.
With the yellow durum wheat flour the phyllo becomes thicker but tastier while with white refined flour the sheet becomes thinner.
It is important to trap air in the dough when kneading because during baking, when the water contained in the dough reaches boiling point, water vapor is produced which expands the air bubbles and the dough rises without leavening.
For better dough first mix a little flour with all the other ingredients and then slowly add the rest of the flour and knead well. The dough needs to rest for 2 hours or you may refrigerate the dough overnight and roll it the next day.
Use a working surface, preferably wooden, positioned so that you can walk around it. Sprinkle the dough with corn starch instead of flour as you roll it so the sheets open easier and become thinner and softer, taking on a beautiful pink color during baking. Roll and stretch out the dough until it is paper thin.
Phyllo dough can be kept in the freezer as long as it is frozen immediately after it is prepared. To prevent the sheets from sticking defrost it overnight in the refrigerator. Once thawed it should not be refrozen or it becomes brittle and difficult to use.
Using phyllo dough and other tips
Phyllo dough is very temperamental. It will start to dry out within minutes of being made, so it is vital to keep it covered. It is also easy to tear, but these holes can be patched over with additional flour and scraps of phyllo dough.
For simple pies and pastries use fewer sheets and filling as the sheets will cook better.
Roll the individual sheets on the rolling pin and transfer them by unrolling them to the baking sheet. Coat the crust sheets liberally with olive oil (or butter for desserts). Lay the sheets on top of each other taking care to close the air between them so that the pie rises during baking. Make sure that the sheets on the bottom cover the sides of the baking pan as well.
The filling of the pie should be cold so it doesn’t melt and pierce the sheet.
Gently score the surface of the pie before baking. Bake in the over without air circulation because the air dries the sheets and they don’t rise during baking. After baking let it cool and then cut it.
If the pie has retained a lot of liquid, cut the pieces all the way down so that it evaporates.
Do not cover the pie while it’s hot because the sheets will soften and get soggy.
Reheat a piece of pie from the refrigerator in low oven temperature so that the sheets do not dry out. When reheating the pie in the microwave make sure to turn on the grill, if available, so that the sheets do not soften.
Buying Phyllo Dough
Since it is readily available in the supermarkets, there is no need to make your own phyllo dough unless you really want to. There are two basic types that you can find in most markets. One style is thicker than the other. The thick version is called “country style” and it more closely resembles the homemade versions of phyllo. For most recipes, it doesn’t matter which type of phyllo you use. It’s a matter of personal preference.
Most markets have the phyllo stored in the frozen food section. When you bring it home, immediately place it in the freezer unless you plan on using it soon. Leave plenty of time to defrost the phyllo in the refrigerator.
