How to make Filo Pastry | Baking Basics #12

I know what you´re thinking – who in their right mind would make their own filo pastry? Trust me, I ask myself the same thing every time I make it (which isn´t that often, don´t worry!), and it has taken a good few attempts for me to finally get it right! I would not necessarily say it is worth the hassle in terms of taste and the time it takes to make it… However, for me it is more the feeling of success and satisfaction I get out of mastering a new baking skill/technique! So, if you are wanting to learn how to make your own filo pastry (you never know when you might need it!), then this baking basics post is for you!

What is Filo pastry?

Filo pastry is a pastry commonly found in Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cooking and is used to make sweet treats like baklava, as well as savoury dishes. Filo can be used as a base or lid to create pies or tarts, one of the most famous being “Spanakopita”. A mix of spinach and feta cheese sandwiched between layers of filo pastry.

Filo pastry is made from 5 very basic ingredients: flour, salt, vinegar, oil and water. It doesn´t contain any leavening agents which helps keep it thin and stretchy. Plus no eggs or dairy products mean it´s suitable for vegans, too.

When baking with filo pastry, all the thin layers of pastry are layered on top of one another, with generous amounts of olive oil or butter (can be vegan, too) brushed in between each layer. This keeps the layers apart and makes them nice and crisp while baking.

What are the challenges of making homemade Filo pastry?

Filo pastry is notoriously difficult to make yourself, hence why most people would just opt to buy it pre-made from the supermarket! And I cannot blame them!

There are two main difficulties when making filo pastry. The first is getting the pastry extremely thin (almost see-through) without tearing it. And the second is making sure the pastry layers don´t all stick together.

My failed attempts at making filo have taught me a few things about what to avoid, and I think I have figured out how to get these two things right now. To get the pastry extremely thin, it´s important to roll out very small amounts of pastry at a time, rather than trying to roll big parts of it at once. I divide my pastry into 20g portions that I roll out as thinly as I can, before stacking 5 such pastry circles on top of one another and rolling into in even larger circle.

The worst possible thing that can happen to you when making filo, is that the layers stick to one another and you cannot separate them. It is therefore vital to use plenty of the cornflour/flour mix (see recipe below) when rolling and stacking the pastry! You cannot use too much if you ask me! So if in doubt, use a little more! The recipe below indicates a guideline of how much you might need (i.e. how much I used). But if you feel like you need more, you should definitely go for it!

Step-by-step Picture Guide

Making filo pastry can be a bit tricky and as a picture says more than 1000 words, I have included this step-by-step picture guide to help guide you through the process! Hope it helps!

Filo Pastry Ingredients — Add the salt, vinegar and oil…

Filo Pastry Ingredients 2 — Add the salt, vinegar and oil…

How To Make Filo Pastry | Basic Recipe

Recipe

Ingredients (makes 24 sheets):

FOR THE PASTRY:

300g plain flour
½ tsp fine sea salt
5 tsp olive oil
2 tsp white wine vinegar
185ml warm water

FOR ROLLING:

150g cornflour
50g plain flour

YOU WILL ALSO NEED:

Rolling pin
Small sieve (optional)
Baking parchment
clingfilm

Method:

Start by making the filo pastry. Put the flour into a bowl and create a well in the middle. Add the remaining ingredients to this and start mixing the dough together with your hands to bring into a rough dough.
Tip the filo pastry dough onto a lightly floured worksurface and knead for about 5-8 minutes until smooth and stretchy. Your pastry has been worked enough, if you form a ball and can create tension on the surface without the pastry tearing.
Wrap the filo pastry in clingfilm and leave to rest at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
Divide the dough into 20g portions and roll into little balls (you should get 24-25 portions out of this amount of dough). Cover the pastry with clingfilm to prevent it from drying out and set aside until needed.
Mix together the cornflour and flour. Generously dust your rolling pin and worksurface with the mix (using a small sieve to do this is really helpful). Take 5 portions of your dough and roll them out as thinly as possible into circles (about 15cm diameter) using plenty of the cornflour mix as you go to prevent sticking. Try to make the 5 circles roughly the same size (see pictures above).
Stack the 5 pastry circles on top of one another, making sure to dust them with a generous amount of cornflour in between each layer (this is crucial to prevent sticking!).
Roll out the pastry stack into as large a circle as possible (about 40cm diameter). Gently peel off the first layer, place on a piece of baking paper and dust with more cornflour. Repeat with the remaining four layers of filo pastry. Put another piece of baking paper over the top to prevent the pastry from drying out.
Repeat the above steps until all the portions of dough have been rolled out.
You can either use the filo pastry immediately, store it in the fridge for 1-2 days or freeze it. To refrigerate or freeze, carefully roll up the filo pastry layers between the two pieces of baking paper. Then wrap the whole thing in clingfilm to prevent drying out and put into a freezer bag if you are wanting to freeze the pastry.

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