How to make filo pastry

What is filo pastry

Fillo dough (but also fyllo and phillo!) Is the Italianized name of the Greek version of phyllo pasta, or a "leaf" pasta that is prepared in Eastern European and Middle East regions, such as Greece and Turkey, and used for various preparations, including sweets, rolls and savory pies.

It is so called because to use it the super-light “leaves” of pasta are superimposed one on the other, brushing with a little olive oil or flour with cornstarch or cornstarch.

Filo pastry, a lighter dough

It may remember the puff pastry as it is thin, but it is the absence of fat that makes the fillo pasta different and lighter.

Like the puff pastry, it is not easy to prepare, for this reason to roll it out, many Italian chefs have been equipped with special pasta-making machines : but you want to put how much more spectacular and fascinating it is to see it prepare as tradition requires, as in this video of Macedonian women struggling with very special drawing techniques and rolling pins?

Let's see how to make homemade filo pastry.

Homemade phyllo pasta recipe

Ingredients for about 10 sheets

> 300 g of flour 0 (or we also recommend Manitoba flour, more workable)

> 130 g of hot water

> 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

> 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar

> 1 teaspoon of salt

> 1 little teaspoon of instant yeast for bread or pizza

Preparation

Mix all the ingredients indicated in a bowl with your hands, obtaining a smooth and homogeneous paste.

Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest for two hours in a cool place. then divide the dough into ten parts, roll the dough very well on the pastry board, very thin and almost transparent - trying to imitate the Greek technique, or rolling the well floured dough on the rolling pin and on itself - giving it the desired shape.

Stacking one sheet on the other before using it, you must take care to put a sprinkling of corn starch or cornstarch and keep them well covered with plastic wrap, keeping them in the fridge for a few hours. Even if you can freeze it, it is recommended to immediately use the filo pastry .

Rolling pin : it is 60-80 cm long and very thin, from 11 to 15 mm thick, it is the real trick to pull it very thin, as well as lots of energy!

It is easily found online at around 5 euros. It can also be done by a carpenter.

Reference book : "Vefa's kitchen", by Vefa Alexiadou, in which more than 300 traditional recipes appear.