Home-made fillo pastry
Paper-thin pastry sheets by hand or pasta machine. Makes 10 sheets
Fresh fillo (filo) pastry is stretched and rolled until you can almost see through it. It's soft, pliable and easier to work with than frozen. Use it for baklava, spring rolls, samosas, strudel and savoury pies. Keep the sheets under a damp cloth all the time, because they dry out quickly.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz plain flour, ¾ cup tepid water, 2 tbsp oil and ½ tsp salt to make a soft dough.
Step 2: Knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Leave aside for 1 hour, covered with a damp cloth.
70 minStep 3: Divide the dough into 10 equal portions and roll them into balls.
Step 4: Lightly dust the work surface with 2 tbsp cornflour and roll each ball out into an 18 cm round.
Step 5: Cover the rounds with a damp cloth and leave them to rest for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 6: Take one round and drape it over the backs of your hands. Gently pull and stretch the dough until it's uniformly thin.
Step 7: Dust the work surface with a little of the remaining 2 tbsp cornflour and roll the sheet out into a rectangle of about 28 × 40 cm.
Step 8: Set it aside under a damp cloth and prepare the remaining sheets the same way, dusting between them so they don't stick. Use the pastry in savoury or sweet dishes.
Step 9: Option: instead of rolling by hand, roll each piece in a pasta machine, first on setting 1, then setting 3 and finally setting 5. Keep the sheets covered with a damp cloth at all times.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 115 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 19 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
Badal Patel
Good to know
- How long does home-made fillo pastry take?
- About 120 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of cornflour?
- Arrowroot or potato starch, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
White sauce
The classic white sauce behind pasta bakes, lasagne, baked vegetables and creamy soups. Butter and flour are cooked together first so the sauce tastes of nothing raw, then milk is whisked in until it turns thick, glossy and smooth. Use it straight away, or keep it covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Sugar syrup
Sugar syrup (chashni) is the base of many Indian sweets, and recipes ask for it at different stages. A light syrup is for soaking sweets and sweetening drinks. One-thread and two-thread syrups are boiled longer so the sweet sets. You can make it with milk instead of water for some sweets.
Greek village salad
A true Greek salad has no lettuce: just ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, sharp onion and olives, dressed with good olive oil and dried oregano, with a whole slab of feta on top. Salt the tomatoes first and they'll make their own dressing.