How would you call a dessert with crispy sheets covered with velvety cream melting on your tongue? This delightful definition of a sweet screams nothing else but “Greek bougatsa”! Full of tempting flavors, this ancient food brings us right into the former Byzantine times.
So, what is bougatsa, after all? This is the name of a traditional Greek pie (some use to call it a cake) with either sweet or salty filling. Of course, most people prefer the sweet version and there’s definitely a reason for this! Most often the sweetness would come from the cream custard, but there might also be cocoa one instead. On the contrary, the salty bougatsa comes with various types of cheese, spinach or even minced meat. The fastest, laziest and probably the most delicious way to make it is by using filo pastry sheets.
Having a quick look at Greek bougatsa, you might mistake it for the famous juicy Galaktoboureko. (Learn more about galaktoboureko in this article) However, we assure you that the taste is much more different and just like galaktoboureko is worth every bite, so it is with bougatsa!
So, what is the secret of preparing Greek bougatsa that makes it so mysteriously delicious? In order for us to learn the answer, we might need to go through the whole process of its preparation!
Let’s take the sweet version as it’s more complicated and much, much more interesting. Well, real professionals start with the cream because they know it’s the trickiest part. First, they combine milk with sugar. Classics! These have to be put on medium heat to slowly and gradually form nice fluffy cream custard. Of course, chefs always make sure to stir from time to time so that they don’t end up with a sticky bottom. When the mixture is hot enough, they add salt, vanilla and semolina. Then the real stirring begins! This should be done until the cream is thick enough to serve as a filling. Nothing ends here, though! One puts the cream aside and adds any dish’s favorite ingredient…butter. It should dissolve into the hot cream and make it extremely airy.
While the cream is cooling down, chefs grease a large baking tin (usually with rectangular shape). Then they take 9 filo pastry sheets and cover the bottom. After that, it’s time for more melted butter! The cream serves as the crown as it’s spread on top of the pastry sheets. Then there are more phyllo, more butter and cream again. This process goes like this until there are no more sheets left.
After baking for 30 minutes or so, good cooks let the dessert rest, covering it with a towel. For some extra flavors, they sprinkle cinnamon or powdered sugar on the very top and voila!
So, after all this info, it turns out that there are many hidden secrets about making Greek bougatsa. Is it because of the big amounts of butter, of the final resting or because of something else? We could only guess!
Enjoy a Greek cream pie (bougatsa) at its 100% pure tastiness by clicking here!
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Let’s take the sweet version as it’s more complicated and much, much more interesting. Well, real professionals start with the cream because they know it’s the trickiest part. First, they combine milk with sugar. Classics! These have to be put on medium heat to slowly and gradually form nice fluffy cream custard. Of course, chefs always make sure to stir from time to time so that they don’t end up with a sticky bottom. When the mixture is hot enough, they add salt, vanilla and semolina. Then the real stirring begins! This should be done until the cream is thick enough to serve as a filling. Nothing ends here, though! One puts the cream aside and adds any dish’s favorite ingredient…butter. It should dissolve into the hot cream and make it extremely airy.
While the cream is cooling down, chefs grease a large baking tin (usually with rectangular shape). Then they take 9 filo pastry sheets and cover the bottom. After that, it’s time for more melted butter! The cream serves as the crown as it’s spread on top of the pastry sheets. Then there are more phyllo, more butter and cream again. This process goes like this until there are no more sheets left.
After baking for 30 minutes or so, good cooks let the dessert rest, covering it with a towel. For some extra flavors, they sprinkle cinnamon or powdered sugar on the very top and voila!
So, after all this info, it turns out that there are many hidden secrets about making Greek bougatsa. Is it because of the big amounts of butter, of the final resting or because of something else? We could only guess!
Enjoy a Greek cream pie (bougatsa) at its 100% pure tastiness by clicking here!
4 More things Greeks Usually Have for Breakfast
All you Need to Know about Turkish Delight & its History
5 Super Quick & Tasty Pita Bread Breakfast Ideas
