homemade phyllo dough

The traditional Greek spanakopita recipe (spinach pie) with crispy phyllo and juicy spinach stuffing! Discover how to make it to perfection just like yiayia

Spanakopita recipe (Authentic Greek spinach pie)

red onions,

spring onion, finely chopped (optional)

garlic,

spinach, washed and roughly chopped (18 ounces)

nutmeg

feta cheese, crumbled (7 ounces)

eggs, beaten

fresh dill, chopped (optional)

butter

salt and pepper

all-purpose flour (10.5 ounces)

olive oil

tbsp red wine vinegar

salt

water (1/2- 3/4 of a cup)

To prepare this spanakopita recipe start by making the phyllo dough first. (For step by step instructions Homemade phyllo dough). Alternatively use commercial phyllo dough.

When done, heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.

To prepare the filling for this spanakopita recipe, sauté the onions in a large knob of butter until soft and turning golden. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the spinach in batches and cook until wilted. Cool, then tip into a bowl (leaving behind any excess liquid from the spinach) and mix in the nutmeg, feta, eggs, spring onion and season.

For this spanakopita recipe you will need a non stick baking pan, about 25cm. Put the first sheet of filo in the pan and sprinkle with olive oil, letting the excess hang over the sides. Keep going with the rest of the sheets, turning a little before adding each additional pastry sheet and sprinkling with olive oil. Use 2-3 phyllo sheets, depending on how thick your phyllo is. Tip in the filling of the spanakopita and fold over the excess pastry to cover. If you like to prepare a larger pan of spanakopita for a big crowd, double the ingredients for the filling and use a 25*35 cm baking dish. Layer the 2-3 phyllo sheets to form the bottom of the spanakopita, tip in the filling and top with 2-3 more phyllo sheets.

Brush the top of the spanakopita with olive oil and scar with a sharp knife. Bake in preheated oven for about 60 minutes until the phyllo is crisp and golden.

Leave the spanakopita cool down for 10-15 minutes before cutting into pieces. Serve the spanakopita with Greek salad. Enjoy!

There is nothing better than a homemade pie, made with homemade phyllo! Phyllo dough or filo pastry, which means leaf or sheet in Greek, refers to the pastry that is wrapped around savoury and sweet pies and comes in many regional variations!

Easy Homemade Phyllo Recipe for Beginners!

In a large mixing bowl add the flour and salt, make a well in the centre and pour in the vinegar and the olive oil. Using a dough hook mix to combine the ingredients for 10-15 seconds. (Tip: The vinegar helps the dough to become crispy.)

Depending on the kind of flour, the weather, the humidity and various factors, the dough may need a little bit more or less water than this recipe calls for. The secret to make the perfect homemade phyllo is the amount of water you will use; a few more drops may have a huge impact.

Start by adding 130g of water at first (1/2 a cup) and mix, until the flour absorbs the water; after mixing for a while, the dough should become an elastic ball. The perfect dough should be soft, malleable and smooth. If the dough is still crumbled, then you need to add a little bit more water. Add a few drops of water and mix for a while; check out the consistency of your dough and add a few more drops of water, if needed. In case you added more water than needed, the dough will become sticky. Don&#8217;t worry, you can fix that by adding some more flour (add 1/2 tsp at first, mix and check again).

When you are happy with the consistency of your dough, cut the dough in balls (slightly larger then a golf ball, approx. 80gr each, depending on size of the tray), coat lightly with olive oil, wrap with some plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 45-60 minutes. This is essential, so that the dough softens and you can roll it easily.

Place one ball of dough on a floured surface coat your rolling pin with some flour. Make a circle of dough with your hands. Now you are ready do roll! Ensure that your dough has plenty of flour to prevent it from sticking to the working surface or the rolling pin.

Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough, until it becomes a very thin round sheet; the thinner, the better. How you do that? It&#8217;s not that difficult, if have the right technique. At first, roll out a few times, turning the dough every once in a while, to keep the circle even and the dough from sticking to the surface. Gently roll the edge of the dough over the rolling pin and roll the dough around the pin. Place your hands in the center of the rolling pin and as you roll, move them out to the sides so that both the rolling pin and your hands are working to spread and thin the dough. Unroll, turn a half turn and repeat. Continue rolling making the dough thinner and thinner each time. Move your hands from the center to the sides to keep even pressure and help in spreading and thinning the dough. The thickness of the phyllo dough depends on what you will be using it for. If you are making a spinach pie, then the dough is rolled out a little bit thicker than if you are making a feta cheese pie.

You may find it easier to roll out a little bit the dough with the rolling pin, and then lift it with your hands and hold it by the edges with your fists, shaking a little bit, while the rest hangs and stretches out, re positioning your hands around the perimeter of the dough and repeating (like a pizza dough).

This recipe is the ideal for beginners, as the dough stretches out really easily. The most important thing is to stretch the dough as thin as possible. Don&#8217;t worry if it breaks, creating holes, it will still taste delicious!

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Top 3 homemade phyllo dough recipes from across the web

The most viewed homemade phyllo dough recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Spanakopita recipe (Authentic Greek...

Easy Homemade Phyllo Recipe for Beg...

Spanakopita recipe (Authentic Greek...

The most viewed homemade phyllo dough recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine