Phyllo dough is a thin pastry used extensively in Greek cooking. Several years ago the thought of creating gf phyllo was almost laughable, however, a good friend of mine spent many hours in the kitchen converting his mother’s homemade phyllo recipe to be gluten-free. I asked my friend if he would be willing to help give an on-line cooking class at Glutenfreeda.com on how to make gf phyllo. He agreed and we spent a day together preparing homemade phyllo and traditional Spanakopita (spinach pie). This month’s international cuisine feature is on Foods from Greece, so we thought it would be rather fitting to bring back this wonderful class on making phyllo. Although making phyllo can be a little tricky, with a little practice you can create amazing gluten-free phyllo. It is truly delicious and well worth the effort!

Techniques & Tips You Will Learn in this Class Helpful Tools for making Phyllo Making Phyllo Dough Rolling out Phyllo About Spanakopita Making Spanakopita

Recipes Featured in This Class Phyllo Dough Spinach Pie - Spanakopita

What is Phyllo?

Phyllo (which means leaf in Greek) dough is finely rolled and stretched sheets of pastry (usually wheat) dough. Paper-thin and almost translucent, the sheets are approximately 12 x 20 inches and are stacked, rolled, wrapped, and then frozen. Gluten-free phyllo is not quite as thin as traditional phyllo and is best used immediately rather than frozen for later use. Despite the differences it is equally delicious!

Helpful Tools for Making Phyllo:

Long thin rolling pin (preferably without handles)
Large surface (cutting board) for rolling out the dough
Matfer Dough Cutter

Making Phyllo Dough:

(Makes 8 sheets of phyllo)

• Ingredients:
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 to 3-1/2 cups of gf flour (Schar Mix B)

Directions:

Whisk together the eggs and milk in the work bowl of a stand mixer. Attach the dough hook to your stand mixer. Gradually add the flour, with the machine on low, until the dough is no longer sticky. Cover the dough in a mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 2 hours.

Rolling Phyllo:

Remove the dough from the bowl and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Generously dust a clean work surface and the rolling pin with corn starch to prevent the dough from sticking as you roll. Using the palm of your hand, flatten 1 piece of dough to about 7"x5" making sure the thickness is fairly uniform. Using the rolling pin, make 4-5 passes (front to back then back to front) over the dough. Roll the phyllo up onto the pin, then put it back down again sideways (now it should be lying side to side). The goal is to have a nice rectangular sheet of phyllo (approximately 18"x14"). Continue to roll out the phyllo as many times as you need to get the phyllo to the desired size. Remember to dust the board and the rolling pin frequently with corn starch to prevent sticking. Note: only roll out one phyllo at a time as you are ready to use it to avoid having it dry out and become brittle.

About Spanakopita:

Spanakopita is a popular Greek dish in which spinach and feta cheese are encased in phyllo pastry.  Spanakopita Pie is a great meatless entrée for a light supper served with a simple garden or fresh fruit salad.  Or, serve your pie as a side dish to grilled chicken or lamb chops for a Greek-inspired meal. You could also serve this as a nice appetizer as a prelude to a delicious Greek dinner.

Making Spanakopita:

(Makes 24 portions)

Ingredients:

• 2-3lbs. fresh spinach ( 4-5 bunches )
• 3 large eggs
• 600-800 grams feta - crumbled ( 3-4 Valbreso Feta packages ), crumbled
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1-1/2 tsp. dry mint ( more or less - to taste )
• 4 tbsp. fresh Italian parsley - chopped

Directions:

Wash and coarsely chop the spinach. Blanch the spinach in boiling salted water for 30 seconds. Drain and let cool on a baking sheet. While the spinach cools combine the eggs, olive oil, dry mint and parsley in a large bowl. Squeeze out as much water as possible from the spinach. Add the spinach to the bowl and stir to blend. Fold in half the feta then add the remaining feta. Try not to over-mix — you don’t want the feta to break up too much.

Lightly brush a baking pan with olive oil. Roll out the phyllo and lay it in the pan (the easiest way is to roll the phyllo onto the pin and then starting at one end of the pan, unroll it into the pan). Press the phyllo to the oiled sides of the pan. Lightly brush olive oil on the phyllo sheet (this keeps the phyllo layers from sticking to each other and becoming one thick doughy layer).

Note: If the phyllo is bigger than you need, let the extra hang outside the pan — you may need some of it to cover tears or holes in subsequent layers.

Roll and apply two more phyllo layers (for a total of three). Don’t forget to brush the top of each layer with olive oil.

Use a third of the spinach-feta mixture and spread it on the phyllo in the pan. Spread it out even and make sure it gets in all the corners.

Roll and apply a phyllo layer on top of the spinach-feta mixture. Brush the top of the phyllo with olive oil.

Repeat the last step two more times. You should now have 3 layers of phyllo on the bottom, 1 layer of spinach-feta, 1 phyllo, 1 spinach-feta, 1 phyllo, 1 spinach-feta. Top off with the remaining three phyllo layers (a total of 8 phyllo layers for the complete spinach pie). Remember to brush the top of each phyllo with olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cut off all the excess phyllo hanging on the sides of the pan. This is best done by pushing a sharp knife through the phyllo down to the pan. Using the point of a sharp knife, score the pie pieces (2"x2" in size) making sure the point of the knife goes all the way through to the bottom of the pan. Scoring the pie now rather than later is done for two reasons:

1. making the cuts will allow steam to release during the cooking process;
2. the phyllo is easiest to cut before baking. If you cut it after it is baked, the phyllo is crusty and runs the risk of falling apart.

Bake the Spanakopita (Spinach Pie) in the oven at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove the pie from the pan within 1/2 hour after taking it out of the oven. Spanakopita can be served hot or cold. It will keep well on the counter for 2-3 days. Refrigerate if you plan on keeping it longer.

- Glutenfreeda