BOUGATSA THESSALONIKIS
Yield:
4
Ingredients
- 4-6 thick (#10) phyllo pastry sheets, thawed and at room temperature
- ¼ pound (or more) unsalted butter, melted
For the Custard:
- 2 ¼ cups whole milk
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup fine semolina flour
- 1 tablespoon corn starch’
- Pinch of salt
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Garnish:
- confectioner’s sugar and ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
- Begin by making the custard. Combine the milk, salt, semolina, sugar, and corn starch in a saucepan. Cook over medium- heat while stirring constantly until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat.
- Combine the egg and egg yolk in a small mixing bowl and whisk together. Temper the eggs by whisking in one cup of the hot custard mixture. Whisk well.
- Add the egg mixture to the custard in the pot and whisk well until smooth.
- Add the butter and vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
- Brush a 8 -inch by 8 -inch baking dish with melted butter. Place one layer of phyllo on the bottom of the pan allowing the excess phyllo to hang over the side of baking dish (if you were looking at the dish as a clock, the phyllo will hang out at the 6:00 position) Drizzle with butter.
- Place another layer of phyllo (9:00 position) in the dish and drizzle with butter. Place the third phyllo sheet on top (at the 12:00 position) and drizzle with butter.
- Place the last sheet on top (at the 3:00) position.
- Pour the custard in the center of the sheets and spread.
- Cover the custard with the phyllo that is hanging from the pan and drizzle butter between each layer.
- Optional: If you like a nice thick top crust layer, add 1 more sheet of phyllo on top and tuck the excess of the phyllo into the pan. Brush with butter.
- Scour 4 slices into the top of the pie.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until golden.
- Garnish with a heavy dusting of confectioner’s sugar and some ground cinnamon.
- Allow the pastry to sit at room temperature at least 25 minutes before serving so that the custard can set.
- Enjoy!
Hi , I lived on thassos for two years in the 80,s playing the guitar for a living . Breakfast was cheese or cream bougatsa this recipe is bang on . It would taste better at 5:00 am staggering back from a club which is when I had it in thassos town harbour
Respect .
David
I lived in Thessaloniki and found one section of the city where, on a Sunday morning, a Turkish bakery served this remarkable bougatsa! I could buy an entire pan of it (and eat most of it on my way back to Panorama!) So happy to have found your recipe!
I skipped the cornstarch and put the cooked custard in the Vitamin blender to make it super smooth. DELICIOUS! I added black cocoa to half the custard and did a swirl with vanilla and cocoa and studded with brandied tart cherries.