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Bougatsa
Thessaloniki's semolina custard pie with icing sugar and cinnamon (μπουγάτσα)
In Thessaloniki, breakfast is often a plate of bougatsa eaten at a marble counter at seven in the morning: warm vanilla custard wrapped in crackly pastry, chopped into bite-size pieces in front of you and dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon. The city's bougatsa shops stretch the dough paper-thin by hand; at home, shop fillo does a fine job. The custard is thickened with fine semolina, so it slices cleanly but stays soft and wobbly. Eat it warm with a Greek coffee or a cold frappé. Chef's tip: whisk the semolina into the milk in a slow stream and keep whisking; dumping it in at once is the usual mistake and leaves lumps you can't beat out.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the custard
For the pastry
To serve
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Warm 3 ¼ cups whole milk and 4 oz caster sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat until steaming and the sugar has dissolved.
5 minStep 2: Pour in 3 ½ oz fine semolina in a thin stream, whisking all the time. Keep whisking over a medium-low heat for 4–5 minutes, until the custard is thick enough to hold a trail for a moment.
5 minStep 3: Take off the heat and whisk in 1 oz butter, 2 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp lemon zest. Let it cool for 10 minutes, then beat in 2 eggs one at a time until smooth and glossy.
10 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Brush a 23 × 30 cm tin with a little of 3 ½ oz butter. Lay in 5 sheets of 10 ½ oz fillo pastry, brushing each with butter and leaving the edges overhanging.
Step 5: Spread the custard evenly, fold the edges over it and cover with the remaining sheets, buttering each. Tuck the edges down the sides and brush the top well.
Step 6: Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crisp and the custard has puffed slightly at the edges.
35 minStep 7: Cool for 15 minutes so the custard sets. Cut into squares, then into bite-size pieces, and dust generously with 3 tbsp icing sugar and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Serve warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bougatsa take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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