Easy Greek Phyllo Dough Recipe (beginner friendly)

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Easy Greek Phyllo Dough Recipe (beginner friendly)

Become an expert in Greek pies with this traditional method for making Greek phyllo dough. Once you try this easy technique, passed down through generations of Greek home cooks, you'll never buy store-bought phyllo again. Best of all, you can make a large batch and freeze it for later, so you'll always have homemade phyllo pastry on hand for Tiropita, Spanakopita, and all your favorite Greek recipes (not suitable for Baklava).

Prep Time1

Cook Time0

Resting time6

Total Time7

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 399kcal

Author: Makos

Ingredients

6 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for rolling, see note#1
2 teaspoons fine salt
¼ cup olive oil
1 ½ cups water lukewarm
2 tablespoons vinegar see note#2
1 cup clarified butter or ghee see note#3

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add the flour, salt, and olive oil to a bowl and rub the mixture with your fingertips until it resembles wet sand.
👉 This is my aunts tip. The longer you allow the flour to absorb the olive oil, the crispier the phyllo will be.
You can also do this in the bowl of your stand mixer.
Add the water and vinegar and mix until a dough forms.
👉 Using lukewarm water when kneading will help the dough come together more evenly.
Knead the dough for a few minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic (by hand or with the dough attachment if using a stand mixer). You may need to add a little extra flour if the dough feels too sticky. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes to 1 hour.
👉 This resting stage is essential because it allows the gluten to relax, making the dough easier to roll and more pliable.
Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Lightly flour your work surface and flatten the dough into a small disk with your hands. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a round sheet about 21 inches (53 cm) in diameter.
👉 Roll from the center outward, rotating and flipping the dough a quarter turn after each few rolls.
👉 Dust with a little more flour (or corn starch) if it starts to stick.
👉 At this stage, the shape doesn’t need to be perfect. If the dough keeps springing back while rolling, let it rest for a little longer.
Brush the sheet with softened butter.
Fold the dough in from each side to create a rectangle (again, it doesn't have to be perfect).
Brush with butter again, fold it in half, brush with butter once more, and fold it in half again. Repeat the same process with the second piece of dough.
👉 You should have some butter left. This will be used for brushing the surface of the pie before baking.
👉 With this folding technique you create a phyllo sheet with 8 layers. For me, this is the perfect number. If you fold the phyllo one more time you'll get 16 thinner layers for each sheet.
👉 Note that this folding/buttering technique resembles a lamination method↗️ but with less folds.
Place the dough pieces in an airtight container or in a bowl covered with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1–3 days. At this stage you can also freeze the dough.
Make a pie: Take the phyllo dough out of the fridge. At first, it will be hard. Press it firmly with the rolling pin to flatten it and make it softer. Then, roll out two large rectangular sheets.
For a sheet pan, I make the the bottom sheet of dough 15×12.6 inches (38x32cm) and the top sheet 21.6×12.6 inches (55x32 cm) - the top sheet is larger because it's crinkled when placed on top of the pie.
(If you're making a pie in a round baking pan, first shape the dough into a ball, the flatten into a disc with your hands and then roll out with the rolling pin).
👉 Lightly brush the surface of the pie with butter. Prick the top with a fork to allow steam to escape during baking.
👉 Immediately before baking, sprinkle the surface with a little water.

Video

Notes

Note #1: You can replace the ¼ of the flour with barley flour, rye flour or a multigrain flour. Note that depending on the flours used, you may have to add a bit of extra water or extra flour.

Note #2: Vinegar, lemon juice or a spirit like Tsipouro make the horiatiko phyllo more crispy and flaky.

Note #3 - The Greek butter used for phyllo is made from pure sheep's and goat's milk and it's already clarified and sold in glass jars in Greece. If you use normal butter you'll have to clarify it for the best results (though I have made phyllo with unclarified butter with good results).

👉 How to make clarified butter: Melt unsalted butter over low heat until it separates into foam (on top), clear golden butterfat (in the middle), and milk solids (at the bottom). Skim off the foam, then slowly pour the clear butterfat into a clean jar, leaving the milk solids behind. Let it cool and thicken before using.

To make 1 cup clarified butter you'll need about 1¼ cups (285 g / 10 oz) unsalted butter.

✏️ You can also use a mixture of half butter and half olive oil. This makes the process a bit messier because the mixture melts quickly at room temperature, causing some of the fat to leak out of the folded dough. Place the dough in a bowl to catch any drippings.

👉 Don't worry if some of the fat leaks out while you're folding the dough into layers. This is completely normal. Simply use the drippings to brush the top of the pie before baking.

Storage:

➡️ Refrigerator: Wrap the phyllo tightly in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

➡️ Freezer: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

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👉 Continue reading below ⬇️ for expert tips on making the best homemade phyllo like a Greek yiayia, plus plenty of inspiring ways to use it.

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