"Galatopita is a deliciously sweet and moorish traditional Greek custard dessert with hand-rolled pastry."
Galatopita
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Prep time: 25mins
Cook time: 1hr
Recipe Card
ingredients
- 3 cups plain flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/4 cup warm tap water
- flour to dust work surface
- cling wrap
ingredients
For the fillo pastry you will need…
- rested dough
- extra flour for dusting the fillo and work surface
- Traditional rolling pin
- fillo-pastry rolling pin
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 soup spoon sugar heaped
- cinnamon
- baking dish 38cm
ingredients
For the custard you will need…
- 1 large pot
- 2 litre extra creamy milk
- 10 sifted soup spoons plain flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 125 gram butter
- 2 1/4 cups white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanillin sugar
ingredients
For the basting you will need…
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 20 gram melted butter
- 2 basting brushes
Method
Making the dough…
Step 1
Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and rub it into the flour
Step 2
Slowly add one cup of warm water and completely combine it with the flour mixture, so that it forms a soft, workable dough that doesn’t stick to your hands or the bowl
Step 3
Depending on the type of flour you use, you may need to add extra water to make the dough soft
Step 4
Turn the dough onto a floured bench and knead it for 1-2 minutes
Step 5
Place the dough in a bowl, cover it with cling wrap and leave it to rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours
Making the fillo pastry…
Step 1
After the dough has rested, divide it into 5 portions and roll each portion into a ball. Dust each ball of dough with flour and set the balls aside
Step 2
Take one of the balls of dough, place it on a floured work surface and roll it out with a regular rolling pin, so it forms a disc of approximately 20cm in diameter. Set aside. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough
Step 3
Take one of the discs of dough and wrap it around the fillo-pastry rolling pin. Then, starting with both hands in the middle of the fillo-pastry rolling pin, press the fillo lightly while moving your hands away from each other. Repeat this pressing/drawing action 3-4 times
Step 4
Unravel the fillo sheet and rotate it 90 degrees on your work surface
Step 5
If the fillo becomes sticky, dust it with a little flour
Step 6
Wrap the fillo onto the rolling pin again
Step 7
Again, starting with both hands in the middle of the fillo-pastry rolling pin, press the fillo lightly while moving your hands away from each other – repeating this pressing/drawing action 3-4 times
Step 8
Again, unravel the fillo sheet and rotate it 90 degrees on your work surface
Step 9
If the fillo becomes sticky, dust it with a little flour again
Step 10
You continue to do this until your fillo is about 60cm in diameter
Step 11
Generously oil the base of a 38cm pan and drape the fillo sheet across the pan and over the edge of the pan. Drizzle the sheet with olive oil
Step 12
Roll out a second fillo sheet. Drape that over the pan too, again draping some of the fillo over the edge of the pan. Drizzle some oil on top of the second fillo sheet
Step 13
Roll out a third fillo sheet and place it completely inside the pan. Draw this fillo sheet up the sides of the pan and press it against the fillo sheets below, to hold it there. Drizzle the fillo sheet with a little oil and then sprinkle it with cinnamon and one heaped soup spoon of sugar
Step 14
Roll out a fourth sheet of fillo, place it completely within the pan and drizzle it with oil
Step 15
Roll out a fifth fillo sheet and place it completely inside the pan. Draw this fillo sheet up the sides of the pan and press it against the fillo sheets below, to hold it there. Drizzle it with a little oil
Step 16
Place a tea towel over the pan to stop the fillo from drying out and set aside
Preparing the custard…
Step 1
Place a large pot on high heat and add the milk, flour, eggs and salt to the pot. Whisk the ingredients until all the flour has dissolved and the eggs have completely mixed through
Step 2
Once the flour has dissolved in the milk, use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture
Step 3
Add the butter and continue to stir the mixture
Step 4
As the mixture begins to thicken, it forms lumps. Don’t worry – just continue stirring it until it thickens evenly
Step 5
Once the mixture has thickened evenly, add the sugar and vanillin sugar and stir these through thoroughly
Step 6
The custard is ready when it begins to form bubbles – then you know the flour has cooked through properly
Adding the custard filling and basting the galatopita…
Step 1
Pour the custard into the baking tray and where required, smooth it out with a wooden spoon so that it forms a thick, even layer
Step 2
Drizzle the fillo that is overhanging the pan with olive oil. Then twist it to form a braid and lay it down on the custard
Step 3
Beat one egg yolk with a teaspoon of milk and baste the custard with this mixture
Step 4
Using a second basting brush, draw up some of the oil at the edge of the pan and baste the fillo braid with this
Step 5
Finally, using the latter brush, baste the fillo braid with 20g of melted butter too
Baking the galatopita…
Step 1
Place the galatopita in an oven preheated to 200ºC and bake it for approximately one hour (not less)
Step 2
Check the galatopita after 10 minutes or so and place foil over any glazed areas that have browned
Step 3
Continue to check every 10 minutes or so throughout the baking process and add more foil to the browned sections of custard, but not on top of the fillo braid
Serving the galatopita…
Step 1
Once the galatopita has baked for an hour and the fillo pastry has browned, remove the galatopita from the oven
Step 2
Allow the galatopita to cool so that the custard can set properly – approximately 2 hours
Step 3
Sprinkle a thin, even layer of cinnamon over the baked custard. Slice the galatopita and serve
Key Points
Step 1
The fillo-pastry rolling pin is curtain dowel, which can be purchased from most timber/hardware stores – it is 12mm in diameter and 85cm long
Step 2
You must let the dough rest for at least two hours, as this will help make it easier to roll the dough into fillo
Step 3
If this is your first time making fillo pastry, make some extra dough and allow some extra time to practice making it. The key point is the amount of pressure you place on the fillo, as you press down and out with your hands. You need to press enough so the fillo is drawn out and enlarges, but not so much that the dough sticks to itself and doesn’t unravel easily
Step 4
If the fillo tears a little, don’t worry, there’ll be many layers, one upon the other, and you won’t notice any of these holes in the finished dish
Step 5
It is very important not to skimp on the oil in this recipe, otherwise your fillo won’t bake or brown properly!