Filo Pastry from Scratch for Bougatsa

Combine the dry ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the water, vinegar and olive oil.

Bring the dough together

Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in all the wet ingredients. At this stage not all the flour may be incorporated — slowly add a very small drizzle of extra warm water at a time, mixing as you go. Once all the flour is absorbed, stop adding water.

The dough should feel soft and elastic — tacky, but not sticky.

Chef's Tip

Flours drink differently depending on brand and humidity. Trust your hands over the measurements — "go by feel" is the Cretan way.

Knead until smooth

Turn the dough onto your work surface and knead for approximately 5 minutes, or until smooth.

Rest the dough

Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the bowl and spread it across the bottom and edges. Return the dough, coating it lightly in oil so a crust doesn’t form. Cover with cling wrap and rest for 1–2 hours at room temperature.

Why it matters

Resting relaxes the gluten — this is what lets you stretch the filo until it's transparent without tearing.

Bring the dough together

Combine the milk, sugar, vanillin sugar and semolina in a medium saucepan. Whisk to incorporate, then switch to a spatula, mixing constantly so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Keep stirring until the mixture thickens and bubbles rise to the surface. Turn off the heat, add the cold butter and the egg yolk, and continue to mix quickly until glossy.

Chef's Tip

Adding the butter and yolk off the heat keeps the custard silky — the residual warmth cooks the yolk without scrambling it.

Preheat & divide

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Divide the rested dough into three pieces.

Stretch the filo by hand

On a wet, buttered or oiled surface, stretch out each piece of dough by hand. Make sure your hands are also wet with oil or butter. Work in circular motions, pulling gently at the edges, until the filo is stretched so thin it’s transparent.

Common mistake

Don't chase perfection — small holes are fine. Once rolled into a spiral, the layers hide everything and turn shatteringly crisp.

Fill, roll & spiral

Butter or oil each piece of stretched filo and spoon on the cooled custard filling. Roll up into a loose log, then coil each log into a spiral.

Bake until golden

Bake for approximately 25–30 minutes, or until golden on top and underneath. Allow to settle so the custard sets and cools slightly, then dust generously with icing sugar and cinnamon.