what type of dough is phyllo & how is it made?

Answer 1

This is a Greek specialty - It's a "light" dough, not (very...) fattening and very tasty - that's why I love it !
Phyllo (Pronounced fee-low) – known also as Filo / Phylo – is a unique paper-thin pastry dough that is used extensively in Greek cooking.
It's a very fine, but strong dough, made of flour, water, salt and in some cases with vinegar, baking powder, soda water and/or butter or margarine.

The layers are stacked with butter between them for a flaky consistency. Those of you who have had the middle eastern dessert baklava have had phyllo.
Filo, in greek, means leaf. It is much like the flaky pastry found in strudels, baklava.

The dough can be tricky to work with as it dries out quickly, so be sure to keep the portions you are not immediately working with covered with a damp cloth.

While you can make your own phyllo dough, it is tricky and time consuming. You can, however, buy frozen phyllo dough at the grocery store (the commercial kind which is produced by machine and is stretched to a fine sheet). It can be found in your grocer's freezer / refrigerator section. (I strongly recommend this option!)

In a commercial box of phyllo you will find about 28 to 30 sheets or leaves of this fine dough.
If it is dry around the edges, you may have trouble working with it. The trick to keeping filo pliable is to make sure it does not dry out.
So, it should be covered with wax paper and on top of that a damp, well-rung out towel. If filo is left exposed to the air, it will dry out like paper and blow away.

Different shapes of products can be produced: triangles, rolls or just... plain pies (which is very simple)

Fillings can be various, limited only by your imagination: cheese, spinach, cheese & spinach (called Spanakopitakia), chicken, seafood, pumpkin etc.


BASIC PHYLLO DOUGH RECIPE

1/4 cup water
2 cups flour (250 gr)
4 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

Sift the flour with the salt.
Make a well in the middle of the flour.
In the well put the water and the olive oil.
Work the dough until it hangs well together.
Dust flour on a table or board.
Knead the dough for about 5-7 minutes.
The dough should be smooth and not stick to the board.
Roll the dough out to a big rectangle.
Lay a damp towel over it and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
Flour your hands and work the dough from the middle outwards until you have the dough stretched to about 3 ft by 3 ft (1meter x 1meter)If work table is not big enough to roll out a 3 ft. by 3 ft. dough, divide the dough into 9 (divide into 3, then divide each third into 3 more) and roll out each portion into 1 ft. by 1 ft. sheet. Cut the dough with a sharp knife or pizza cutter to the desired sheet size.
Continue with the recipe that requires the phyllo dough.



THe kind you can buy at the store in the frozen section is just as good....

Answer 2

Phyllo dough also spelled 'filo' or 'fillo', consists of thin sheets of unleavened flour dough which are layered with butter and baked to make flaky pies and pastries, the most famous of which are probably baklava and tiropita. The layers of phyllo dough can be as thin as paper or a few millimeters thick. Phyllo is used in many of the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, often under the Turkish name yufka. Dishes made with phyllo are often called börek.
Homemade phyllo takes time and skill. It requires progressive rolling and spreading out the dough to a single, thin and very big sheet, with continual flouring of its surface, which tends to break apart. A very big table and a long roller are used. Once finished, the phyllo is floured, folded and used per the recipe. Nowadays this is done industrially to make the product bought at the frozen section in supermarkets. Most food-oriented phyllo is made with wheat flour and water, but some dessert recipes call for egg yolks in addition.

When working with Phyllo it's a good idea to have a pan of melted butter to brush the insode of the pasrty it'll be easier to work with.
For recipes see link below.

Answer 3

Phyllo pastry are thin sheets of unleavened flour dough which are layered with butter and baked to make flaky pies and pastries. They can be as thin as paper.

Filo dough is usually made with flour, water, salt, egg, and sometimes vinegar. You have to roll the pastry several times and it is very time consuming when you make it at home.

See

http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/icooks/04-14-03.html

there are some good tips.

Answer 4

It comes from Greece and it used for light cakes and pastries. It is best to buy it frozen.