Traditional Greek Feta Cheese-Filled Bougatsa

This Traditional Greek Feta Cheese-Filled Bougatsa, a beloved breakfast treat, is considered one of the most popular dishes in Greece and is a big part of the country’s culinary tradition.  It is believed that some of the best bougatsa in Greece is made in Ioannina, the capital of Epirus in northwestern Greece, which is also my hometown!

Bougatsa is made with flaky, buttery layers of filo and a filling that can be either sweet or savory.  For the sweet version, a popular recipe on my blog, the filling is a vanilla-scented, semolina custard while for the savory version, we use a delicious Feta cheese filling.

This dish is enjoyed for breakfast or as a mid-morning snack in small, local shops that specialize in just this traditional pastry.  The homemade filo dough is made by hand-stretching and air tossing it until it is wide enough and really paper-thin as to fit in the traditional large round copper pans, in which it is baked.

Thankfully, we can make this wonderful treat at home, in individual “parcels”, by using good quality packaged filo and just a few other ingredients.  Once the bougatsa parcels emerge hot from the oven, the whole kitchen smells heavenly.  We only need to wait just a bit before we cut it into small, bite-sized pieces to enjoy!

Ingredients for the Traditional Greek Feta Cheese-Filled Bougatsa

Here are the ingredients you will need:

• Filo Pastry (I used Fillo Factory brand):  this time I used the “country style” filo as it is what I had handy, but thin filo pastry (#4) is even better for this recipe
• Butter and Extra Virgin Olive Oil:  for brushing on the filo pastry (you can use a combination of both, or, only butter)
• Greek Feta Cheese:  we need the block of Feta cheese in brine (not the crumbled Feta cheese variety)
• Milk:  to soak the bread
• Bread:  hearty white or white sourdough bread with the crusts removed
• Pepper:  white pepper so it does not show (or you can use regular pepper)
• Salt:  just a little of sea salt, because the Feta cheese can be salty

How to Make the Traditional Greek Feta Cheese-Filled Bougatsa

1.  Remove the filo dough from the refrigerator and prepare the filling by soaking the bread with the milk and adding the crumbled Feta cheese and butter to the bowl.

2.   Start forming each bougatsa by laying  3 sheets of filo one on top of each other and brushing melted butter between each sheet. Place 1/3 of the cheese mixture in the bottom center of the filo stack and fold fold the bottom edge of the filo over the cheese mixture, as seen in the photo, below.

3.   Enclose the filling  by folding in the sides, so the cheese is fully covered by the filo

4.   Form the filo parcels by folding the strip of filo over itself until you reach the end of your rectangle

5.   Bake after brushing with butter and until your filo parcel is golden brown

6.   Cool and Serve:  allow to cool slightly and cut into small, bite-sized pieces while still warm

Enjoy the bougatsa, served on small plates, for breakfast or for brunch.   If there are any leftovers, you can reheat them in a skillet on low heat, covered.  Unbaked bougatsa can also be stored in the refrigerator for a few days, and baked when needed.  You can easily freeze unbaked individual bougatsa for several weeks, to bake later.

TIPS ABOUT THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF FILO PASTRY

1. Filo comes in different thicknesses:  the number you see on a box of filo indicates how thick it is. The lower the number, the thinner and more delicate the filo.  Lower-numbered filo requires a lighter touch with the pastry brush to avoid tearing.  The most common numbers are #4 (thin and pliable), #7 (slightly thicker) and country style (the thickest kind of filo)
2. Filo comes in different sizes:  most packages of filo pastry have large sizes of filo (13″ x 18″), suitable for larger pans, but some packages have smaller sizes of filo (9″ x 13″), for smaller pans. If you are using a smaller pan, but can only find the larger-sized filo, just cut the larger sheets in half.
3. The weight of the filo:  no matter what the size or the thickness, the weight of a filo package in the U.S. is always going to be one pound.  This means that the box with the thinner filo will have more sheets while the box with the thicker filo will have fewer!

This recipe is a collaboration with Fillo Factory. You can find this favorite filo dough (along with puff pastry) at Whole Foods and several small local stores.  I love the quality of the Fillo Factory products and I always make sure to stash a couple of boxes in the freezer!

The recipe for the bougatsa

5.0 from 4 reviews

Traditional Feta Cheese-Filled Bougatsa

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

A traditional savory breakfast with layers of crispy filo and a delicious, creamy Feta cheese filling

Author: Marilena Leavitt

Recipe type: Breakfast/Brunch

Cuisine: Greek

Serves: 3

Ingredients

• 9 sheets of filo dough, 14" x 18" each (I like Fillo Factory - the thin #4 filo is perfect for this recipe)
• 3 large, slices of hearty white bread, crusts removed (about 5 oz.)
• ½ cup milk (2% 0r full fat)
• 10 oz. Greek Feta cheese
• 3 TBSP. melted butter
• ¼ tsp. sea salt
• ¼ tsp. white pepper
• 4 TBSP. melted butter (or a combination of olive oil and butter) for brushing on the fillo

Instructions

1. Defrost the package of filo overnight in the refrigerator. Remove the filo from the refrigerator 1 hour prior to use. Keep it wrapped.
2. Prepare the filling: remove the crusts from the bread and tear the slices into small pieces. Place the bread in a bowl and add the milk, mixing well to moisten it thoroughly. Add the melted butter, the salt and pepper, and mix again. Crumble the Feta cheese and add it to the bowl. (Note: At this point, if the mixture is too liquidy, add some more bread. If it is too dry, add some more milk.)
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F Convection (Fan in Europe).
4. Assemble the individual bougatsa: open the box of filo and unwrap the sheets. Lay 3 sheets of filo one on top of the other, brushing melted butter between each sheet. As you lay the sheets down, keep the shorter end facing you. Place ⅓ the cheese mixture in the bottom center of the filo stack, approximately 1.5” from the edges. Fold the bottom edge of the filo over the cheese mixture and then fold in each of the sides, so the cheese is fully covered by the filo (like in the photos). Flip the filo and cheese mixture over and away from you and brush the top and the sides with a little melted butter. Continue folding the strip of filo until you reach the end of your rectangle. At this point, tuck the end piece under the rest of the rolled filo and brush the top with butter. Your filo parcel should be about 6"x4". Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
5. Repeat with two more sets of three filo sheets and the rest of the mixture, so you have two more parcels of cheese-filled bougatsa. Place them on the prepared sheet, leaving some space between. You can also store any unbaked parcels--well wrapped--in the refrigerator or in the freezer. I usually bake two and refrigerate the third one for later.
6. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly on a baking rack.
7. Cut into pieces: place one filo parcel on a cutting board and with a very sharp chef's knife cut it in small, bite-sized squares, rocking the knife back and forth rather than dragging it across the top (which would crumble the filo). A pizza chopper with two handles would work well here.
8. Serve family style, straight from the cutting board, or, place on individual small plates and enjoy while still warm with some ice cold water.

Notes

I tested this recipe with two different kinds of filo pastry, the thin kind and the thicker. If you use the thicker "country style" filo, use only two sheets of filo. If you use the thinner kind (#4 or #7), use three layers of filo.

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