Healthy Greek Pastry Recipe
Part 1 of my Greek Pastry made even healthier series
→ I’m starting off with something sweet…to eat. A time honored tradition where I come from.
Yes yes yes, I said it something sweet. “But hey Phoenix, aren’t you a health and wellness writer…?” You darn right I am…! However, considering this is my first REAL post I figured it apropos to come outta da box like a banshee, on fire, guns a blazin.
Usually I don’t eat sweets, but when I do, I prefer the following variety. Why…? Because this sort of dessert, or delicacy if you will, is not only delicious, but, densely packed with nutrition as well. And the whole point behind my prose about food is to highlight how one can maximize the flavor and nutritional impact from what they eat. As stated in the following post.
The only caveat being that since this is a recipe post, to enjoy this amazing food will require some effort on your part. Nothing is for free after-all. So rather than rely on something sweet from your local bakery you can spend a fraction of the money purchasing the ingredients I am about to list and put them together by following my baking instructions.
For those whom have traveled to Greece before, you will know that this is available from nearly all bakeries you will find. Even some that just specialize in this.
If you have never been to Greece before, no worries. Because your about too. Well kind of.
So what is this delicacy called…? Well here it is in English, Greek, and my poor attempt at phonetic spelling.
Bougatsa (Μπουγάτσα) (Boo-gaht-sah)
Ingredients
— > Roughly 20 room temperature Phyllo Dough Sheets (sized 9in. x 14in.)
— > ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
— > 2 Whole Eggs, 2 Egg Yolks @ room temp (organic or free-range sans antibiotics)
— > ¾ cup Raw Local Honey
— > Zest of 1–2 Lemon (Orange zest optional)
— > 6 cups Fat Free Organic Milk
— > ¾ cups Semolina Flour (organic if possible)
— > ¾ teaspoon Vanilla (optional)
— > Ceylon Cinnamon to taste (optional)
— > Icing sugar to taste (optional)
Instructions
Step 1:
In a medium size bowl, thoroughly whisk together eggs and yolks until no egg whites are visible.
Step 2:
Fully incorporated honey (and vanilla if used) into whisked eggs until one consistent texture and color is achieved.
Step 3:
Add semolina to egg and honey mixture until fully incorporated.
Step 4:
In a sufficiently large pot, warm milk until 100 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 5:
With a ladle or large spoon, take a small amount of warmed milk and slowly incorporate it into egg mixture to temper (the eggs). Add a few tablespoons at a time and whisk. Then add a few more tablespoons, mix again. Repeat until the egg mixture and warmed milk are roughly the same temperature.
(Note: Using room temperature eggs will speed this process up. Also, if you simply were to put the entire egg mixture directly into the large pot of warmed milk the eggs would cook through rather than provide a creamy texture. )
Step 6:
Now take the entire tempered egg mixture from the medium size bowl and place it into the large pot of warmed milk. Make sure to scrape any left-over semolina into the milk. Under medium to medium-high heat constantly stir until the entire mixture thickens and forms into a custard.
(Note: Continually stirring will ensure the semolina stays in suspension and fully incorporate. If you don’t do this, the semolina will settle to the bottom. This process will take time so be patient and grab a stool if needed. Shoot for a texture such that a scoop will hold onto a spoon without loosing shape. Heating beyond this point will make the custard too thick and dense.)
Step 7:
Once the custard is done thickening take it off the heat, then add in and thoroughly incorporate lemon zest.
Step 8:
Allow custard to cool to room temperature.
(Note: If left in the heating pot, this could take hours so leaving it for an afternoon is fine. During cooling the custard will thicken some more. To speed the cooling process up, and arrest the cooking process in a quicker manner, spread custard out onto a shallow baking pan placed on a cooling rack. This method will take much less time but an hour or two may be common.)
Step 9:
Next, take a standard sized baking pan (10in. X 15in. or similar) and coat the entire pan with the olive oil. You only need to coat the bottom and sides with a thin layer, not a pool of oil.
Step 10:
Cover the oiled pan with one layer of phyllo dough. Since the phyllo sheets are not as large as the pan, overlap three different pieces to completely cover the bottom and sides. Make sure you gingerly tuck in the phyllo sheets into the corners and bends at the shoulders of the pan, so they take the pans form without tearing.
Step 11:
Drizzle oil on top of the previously placed layer and brush a light layer of oil onto the sides and bits hanging over the edges. Place three more sheets down as described in the previous step. Repeat for the final layer of phyllo.
(Note: In this case, 9 total sheets of phyllo are used to form a base. Roughly three layers of phyllo sheets. Three sheets for a single layer with slight overlapping regions.)
Step 12:
Take the room temperature custard and spread it evenly into the phyllo lined pan.
Step 13:
Apply three sheets of phyllo to cover the custard. Then apply remaining phyllo sheets evenly to complete the top layer in the manner described in Step 11.
Step 14:
Gingerly fold inwards the phyllo sheets hanging over the edges of the baking tray from both bottom and top layers. Oil these so they just saturate. Apply a light coating of oil to the top layer of phyllo and sprinkle a little water. This will make this top layer separate slightly and become extra crispy.
Step 15:
Bake in a preheated oven @ 375 deg F (convection if possible) for 30–45 minutes.
Step 16:
Very important…! Allow to cool for 30 minutes at least.
Cut into desired serving size. Serve warm as is or by applying a light coating of confectioners (icing) sugar and/or ceylon cinnamon to taste. This will keep in the fridge for several days and freezes well. Reheat in an oven at low heat (around 150–200 deg F) or in an uncovered skillet under medium heat. The skillet method will make for a crispy bottom layer which is nice. For a crispy top and bottom, use the skillet method for a few minutes then transfer to the oven for equal time. Avoid reheating in a microwave as this will only wilt the phyllo which will ruin the texture. You want it crisp…!
For your convenience I have calculated the nutritional information for the entire baking sheet cut into 16 equal sized pieces. Each piece represents one serving.
The macronutrient mix is as follows (calories from fat, protein, carbohydrate):
— > 32% fat
— > 12% protein
— > 56% carbohydrate.
All the ingredients used cannot be classified as containing so-called empty calories. The extra virgin olive oil, which you may not need all of, is a great source of poly and monounsaturated fats (great for HDL cholesterol), and low in saturated fats (great for keeping LDL cholesterol low). Semolina flour is by far a better option than bleached all-purpose white flour. Honey is mega for your health in the world of sweeteners. Quality eggs have never been bad. Ditto for organic dairy…! All in all one serving will make for a very tasty breakfast full of vitamins and minerals that your body needs.
Not enough flavor for you…? Up the lemon zest, vanilla extract, honey, and use full fat milk. Just know increasing the amount of honey and using full fat milk will up the total amount calories per serving and skew the macronutrient balance more towards the calories from carbohydrates and fat.
The original recipe is slated to use 1 cup of melted butter rather than extra virgin olive oil. Granulated sugar rather than honey. And full fat dairy. However, if you are like me and are sensitive to saturated fats (by way of being prone to high cholesterol) I would stick to my recipe. Also sugar does not contain as much nutritional benefit compared to honey so you would be leaving a lot on the table in this area.
So here it is. The first of many posts about tickling your taste buds and getting in heaps of nutrition at the same time. Try this recipe out and leave comment on your thoughts.
Enjoy…!
