We’re back from our amazing trip to Greece, and let me tell you we already miss the sunshine, the beaches and of course the great food!  Today we are going to make the dish that stole our hearts in Greece, Bougatsa!  Check out our video below to see the entire process!

Bougatsa is a phyllo pastry that comes in sweet and savory versions, and today we’re craving something a little custard-y, so we’re going to make the sweet kind.  As always, we’ve listed the ingredients and the steps out below.  

First things first, the custard filling. We’re going to add some granulated sugar, eggs and flour to a bowl and whisk them to combine.  Basically, breakfast essentials with a twist.

Then we move onto the milk.  You’re going to heat up about 4 cups of milk in a saucepan on medium high heat and stir it while it warms up. Be careful not to let it get too hot though, or it will throw a tantrum and burn, and we don’t want any drama in the kitchen, just delicious drama in our mouths! 

Next, we need to temper the eggs so they don’t curdle when we add them to the hot milk.  To do this, add one ladle of milk at a time to the egg mixture, nice and slowly, doing the best you can to whisk it while pouring it in, admittedly this can be a bit tricky.

Add the entire egg mixture to the saucepan with the rest of the milk, and stir it until it thickens up.

See, no curdled chaos, just creamy custard perfection!  Now, in goes some lemon zest for a citrusy kick, and a bit of butter because well is there ever a bad time for butter? And last but not least, add one teaspoon of vanilla.

Then, cover this bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until it’s cool.  This can take a few hours, so it’s good to start this well ahead of when you want to eat it.

Once the mixture has cooled, you can continue by preparing the delicious bougatsa.

You’re going to melt some more butter and brush it on the bottom of your baking sheet or cake pan.  We’re using a springform pan for our bougatsa to get a nice artsy round shape.

Now, onto the star of the show, the phyllo dough. These paper thin sheets are delicate, so keep them covered with a damp towel while you work.  Start by adding one sheet of phyllo to the pan then brush more butter on top of it, then add another sheet of phyllo and brush more butter on top of that.  We’re building a flaky fortress for our creamy custard.  Butter, phyllo, butter, phyllo. Repeat this with about 5 sheets of phyllo until your pan looks like a golden buttery lasagna. Yes, we know, this is a lot of butter, but that’s what makes it good.

Now, for the fun part!  Pour all of that delicious custard onto its buttery phyllo bed.

Layer phyllo on top of the custard just as you did on the bottom, phyllo, butter, phyllo, butter for about 4 or 5 times. Fold the edges over the top, this will create a nice decorative look when it’s baked.  And don’t forget to brush the edges with butter too.

Bake the bougatsa at 320F or 160C for 45 minutes. 

Remove it from the oven and let cool for at least another 45 minutes. I know you’re going to want to eat it before that, but trust me, it will be so much better in the end if you wait.

When you’re ready to serve, sprinkle with some powdered sugar and cinnamon, slice it up and voila, look at how beautiful that is.

Honestly, I’m so glad that we learned to make this at home because it’s so delicious and we’re going to want it more often than we can fly to Greece to get it!  The phyllo has that nice crunch with flaky, buttery layers.  The filling is super rich, but not too sweet. Next time I would add some cinnamon into the filling as well to give it just a little bit more of a kick. We’re going to be very happy eating this for breakfast for the rest of the week!

Bougatsa Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 cups (1 litre) milk
• 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
• 10-12 sheets of Phyllo dough – remember to thaw this ahead of time
• 200 grams (14 tbsp) of butter
• 150 (¾ cup) grams granulated sugar 
• 120 grams (1 cup plus 2 tbsp) flour (semolina flour if you can find it)
• Zest of one lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Some powdered sugar and 
• Some cinnamon

Method:

1. Add the sugar, eggs and flour to a bowl and whisk to combine
2. Add the milk to saucepan and heat up until just before boiling
3. Whisk 1/2 warm milk into egg mixture, one ladle at a time
4. Return the entire mixture to the saucepan and stir until thick
5. Add lemon zest, 50g butter and vanilla and stir to combine
6. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool
7. Melt rest of the butter
8. Brush bottom of pan with the melted butter
9. Add a sheet of phyllo, brush the top with butter, then add another sheet.  Repeat this with 4-5 sheets, buttering each one before layering the next.
10. Add the custard on top of the phyllo, then repeat the phyllo layering and buttering with 4-5 sheets on top of the custard.
11. Bake at 160C/320F for 45 minutes
12. Remove it from the oven, and let it cool
13. Sprinkle powdered sugar and cinnamon on top
14. Cut and serve, enjoy!