Filo (or phyllo) pastry has its origins in Greece and the Middle East and is an essential component of baklava, spanikopita and strudels. It is paper-thin and very flaky when cooked. Sometimes recipes call for multiple layers of filo pastry sheets, often with melted butter brushed between the layers. Filo sheets are widely available frozen in rolls, but for those who want to try making filo pastry from scratch, the recipe is relatively simple. Successful, extra-thin filo pastry sheets depend on a good kneading and stretching technique.
Instructions
1. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and mix in the salt with a wooden spoon. Add a few tablespoons of the lukewarm water and stir it into the flour.
2. Add a few more tablespoons of the water and mix it into the flour. Gradually add the rest of the water, stirring as you work. When you have fully incorporated the water you should have a stiff dough.
3. Turn the dough out onto a clean kitchen surface dusted with flour. Pour a little of the vegetable oil onto your hands and rub it all over. Knead the dough by pressing the heel of your palm into it, folding it and turning it repeatedly. Add more oil to your hands as they become dry and the dough begins to stick to them.
4. Continue to knead the dough until you have used up most of the vegetable oil and the dough is elastic and smooth. Coat the ball of dough and the inside of the mixing bowl with the remaining oil. Sit the dough in the bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for at least two hours, preferably in a warm place.
5. Dust your surface with flour and break off about a quarter of the ball of dough. Dust the rolling pin with flour and roll the dough into a ¼-inch-sheet. Cover this with the towel and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
6. Cover a table with the clean cotton tablecloth and place the dough sheet on top of it. Leaving the dough in its place and moving around the table, pull and stretch it evenly from the center to the edges of the table. To do this, place your hands under the dough and gently pull it using the backs of your hands, and work until the dough is as thin as paper. It may tear or develop holes.
7. Cut off the thick edges with a knife, pizza cutter or moistened scissors, and cut the large sheet of pastry into more manageable sheets. You could cut it into triangles, rectangles or thin strips, depending on the recipe you intend to use it for.
8. Repeat steps five to seven for the remaining three quarters of the dough.
Tags: your hands, filo pastry, with flour, ball dough, clean kitchen