Fillo Dough From Scratch

When my friend Aliza was here baking with me, she told stories of how her mother would always make the Fillo dough when she was a child. She said the homemade Fillo dough was thicker than what was available commercially, and that her mother preferred to use that.

When I visited my friend Athena, she told me exactly the same thing. She said that the dough varies a little from region to region. Her mother-in-law taught her how to make this recipe of Fillo dough, but it was not from the area of Greece where her mother-in-law was from, rather from where her father-in-laws home town was, and this recipe was taught to her mother-in-law, by her mother-in-law! It has been passed on from generation to generation. When Athena was getting married, her mother-in-law said this was one of Lee's favorites, and so she needed to learn how to make it. Now, her daughters, Georgiana and Nassy are learning from Athena.

Athena invited me to come over after her big dinner party postings were done and learn how to make the dough for myself. She said to me that you have to see it, because it is difficult to describe how to make it. This dough is not the dough you will think of as a Fillo dough that you buy in the package, but Athena said that when she makes Spanakopita for her family, this is how she makes it. She says that she always has 2-4 balls of Fillo in the freezer. It takes two balls to make this type of Spanakopita. When I was telling Aliza what Athena taught me, she said that she also makes this type of Spanakopita at home, it's a little different from the one we prepared earlier last week on the blog.


Fillo Dough
Athena Avramidis

5¾ cups King Arthur All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup olive oil
2 cups water
Extra olive oil for rolling the dough about 1-2 cups

Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt. Make a well; add 1 cup of olive oil, and the water. Using your hands, mix well to make dough.

Sprinkle some flour (this is called bench flour) on a board or whatever work area you are going to use. Remove the dough from the bowl, and knead on your work surface for about 5 minutes. Divide the dough in half, and then in half again so you will have four equal size pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and place it back in the bowl.

Place some oil in a bowl and have a pastry brush ready to go. Cut four pieces of aluminum foil (large enough to wrap a medium size ball of dough) and set aside. Remove one ball at a time and do the following:

With a rolling pin and working from the middle to the outside edges roll the dough into a circle, as thin as you can roll it. Do not worry if the dough breaks or is not perfectly round. When you get it as thin as you can, brush the dough with olive oil.

This is difficult to describe in words, so in your mind, picture a child’s drawing of the sun, and then picture a spider web superimposed over it. (See pictures on the blog)

Cut a half moon shape piece from one edge of the dough, and set aside. In the middle of the dough, with the dull side of a knife, score (make) a medium size circle, do not cut all the way through. Create a larger circle around the first circle, this time you will cut the circle all the way through. Now, beginning at the edge of the first (smaller circle) cut (vertical) lines that will look like the rays of the sun, all around the circle (don’t worry if they are not even.)

The dough will almost look like a sun. Now, on the outer circles, take a knife and cut some horizontal lines, to almost create a spider web look.

Starting with the outside pieces, lift a piece up and place in to the circle in the middle, brush the piece with olive oil. Continue to pile each piece on top of the piece in the middle, brushing each piece with olive oil as you go, until you are left with the pieces of the original circle and it’s small rays. Bring each piece up over the pieces in the middle, brushing each piece with oil to form a ball. Place that ball seam side down on the half moon you cut at the beginning. Bring the dough up to surround the ball, keeping the round shape.

At this point, place the ball in foil, and then into a plastic freezer bag. Repeat with the other three balls of dough. If you are going to use the dough right away, you will roll the dough out thinly and then, flip the end of the piece over the rolling pin to lift it and place it on a large round pizza pan. Top with your filling and then roll a second ball to put over your filling in the same fashion. Top your filling and pinch the dough together and pull down to make a seal. See the directions in the Spanakopita recipe that will post tomorrow.

Freeze the dough, and when you are ready to use it, either defrost it the night before in the refrigerator, or leave at room temperature for 3-4 hours.

This dough will make 4 crusts for the spanakopita, or enough for two pies.

Basically, what you will do is pile the pieces on what looks like the inner circle of the spiders web. The next row is the row you will use to fold in at the end. The outer pieces of the circle are what you will brush with oil and pile on the middle circle.


Don’t worry about where you cut the half moon shape from. This will all make sense when you see the pictures.

I am going to repost the bulk of the recipe here, but refer to the top for freezing infoormation. You will now learn why the term "a picture is worth a thousand words."

What you will need for the recipe:




Fillo Dough
Athena Avramidis

5¾ cups King Arthur All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup olive oil
2 cups water
Extra olive oil for rolling the dough about 1-2 cups

Place the flour in a large mixing bowl

Add the salt,

Mix the salt and flour together

Make a well and add 1 cup of olive oil



and the water



Using your hands, mix well to make dough


Sprinkle some flour (this is called bench flour) on a board
or whatever work area you are going to use
Remove the dough from the bowl,



and knead on your work surface for about 5 minutes

Notice how Athena is using her fingertips,

fists,


and wrist to work this dough


ending with her palms


This is what the dough should look like when it is finished


Divide the dough in half,



and then in half again


so you will have four equal size pieces



Shape each piece into a ball





and place the balls back in the bowl


Place some oil in a bowl and have a pastry brush ready to go

Cut four pieces of aluminum foil
(large enough to wrap a medium size ball of dough)
and set aside.

Remove one ball at a time


Put some flour (bench flour) on your workspace


and do the following:

With a rolling pin and working from the middle
to the outside edges roll the dough into a circle,
as thin as you can roll it

Do not worry if the dough breaks or is not perfectly round




When you get it as thin as you can, brush the dough with olive oil
(some of what you see was not yet brushed, so you could see more clearly,
but when you are making it yourself, brush the dough with oil

before you begin to cut and score)




Cut a half moon shape piece from one edge of the dough,
(I am showing two different balls so you can get the idea)



and set aside

In the middle of the dough,
with the dull side (back side) of a knife,
score (make) a medium size circle
(about the size of a baseball,)
do not cut all the way through


Create a larger circle around the first circle,
this time you will cut the circle all the way through.







Now, beginning at the edge of the first (smaller circle)
cut (vertical) lines that will look like the rays of the sun,
all around the circle (don’t worry if they are not even.)


The dough will almost look like a sun
Now, on the outer circles, take a knife
and cut some horizontal lines,
to almost create a spider web look.



Starting with the outside pieces,
lift a piece up, and place in to the circle in the middle,
brush the piece with olive oil

(Note: the piece in the middle was removed from the upper left corner)

Continue to pile each piece on top
of the piece in the middle,
brushing each piece with olive oil as you go,
until all you are left with are the pieces
of the original circle and it’s small rays




When you get to the original circle and it's small rays
here is what you will do



Bring each piece up over the pieces in the middle,

brushing each piece with oil






to form a ball - like shape
Brush with olive oil


Brush the top of the half moon piece you set aside with olive oil


Place that ball seam side down on the half moon
you cut at the beginning



Bring the dough up to surround the ball,
keeping the round shape.



At this point, place the ball in foil,
and then into a plastic freezer bag.






You have now made homemade fillo dough

Repeat with the three other balls of dough. You are now ready to freeze your dough.

If you are going to use the dough right away, you will roll the dough out thinly and then, flip the end of the piece over the rolling pin to lift it and place it on a large round pizza pan.

Top with your filling and then roll a second ball to put over your filling in the same fashion.

Top your filling and pinch the dough together and pull down to make a seal.

See the directions in the Spanakopita recipe that will post tomorrow.

I am going to post just a few more picture so
you can have some clarification

Lightly score the middle circle


Cut out your half moon
don't worry if it creates a short piece in the inner circle


Make your cuts through the second circle


Do you see the longer pieces at the back
those are the pieces you want to cut in two horizontally to
make them smaller, the smaller the pieces,
the more the layers, the flakier the dough



Pull up your petals




Place on your half moon


Pull up your half moon

Complete the circle, wrap and freeze