Tricks for taming phyllo dough

By Marialisa Calta

Among home cooks, phyllo dough has a bit of a reputation: temperamental, delicate and prone to break-downs. But as far as I’m concerned, phyllo (rhymes with “BEE-low”) also provides an ironclad culinary excuse: Unlike puff pastry, piecrust, or pate a choux, it is nearly impossible to make at home. You can use store-bought phyllo without even a glimmer of guilt.

Phyllo — which comes from the Greek “phyllon” (leaf) — consists of layers of ultra-thin sheets of dough made from flour, water and oil. In some areas of Greece, I’ve read, villagers still gather and carefully stretch the dough until it is large enough to drape over a table, and transparent enough that each worker can see his or her hands through the dough. We, however, have merely to pop into a supermarket to buy frozen phyllo (also sold as “filo” or “fillo”) at a very reasonable price.

Here are some tips for handling phyllo dough:

— The night before you plan to use frozen phyllo, set the package in the fridge to thaw.
— The key to using phyllo successfully is speed; you want to finish the dish before the dough dries out. Assemble all of your ingredients and equipment before you start.

— Make sure any cooked fillings you’re going to use have been cooled, as warm fillings will cause the dough to melt and tear. In some recipes, it might be easiest to make the filling the night before and cool, cover and refrigerate it until needed.

Lay the phyllo sheets flat on a dry work surface. Cover with a clean dishtowel that is just slightly damp. The idea is to keep the phyllo from drying out and cracking, but if the towel is too wet, it will make the leaves stick together.

— Most phyllo sheets measure about 13-by-18 inches, larger than many pans you might be using (such as a 9-by-13-inch pan). Drape the sheet over the pan and press it into the corners of the pan, then let the dough come up the sides. When you have finished assembling the dish, tuck the extra dough around the edges, or cut it with a sharp knife.

Do not let it just extend above the pan or the edges will burn.

— Each phyllo sheet needs to be coated lightly with oil or butter (or a combination of both) as it is used. To save time and calories, a spray bottle of olive oil works well in recipes that call for oil. Some people use cooking spray, but I think it imparts a chemical taste.

— The phyllo dishes that most Americans know best that are spanakopita (spinach pie) and baklava (a pastry of nuts and sweet syrup). Both are wonderfully tasty dishes that can be baked in amounts large enough to feed a crowd. Greek-Americans may think of them as culinary cliches (in the way that I, as an Italian-American, look upon spaghetti and meatballs) but for the rest of us, these are recipes worth mastering.

The spanakopita recipe below, is from “Cat Cora’s Kitchen” (Chronicle Books, 2004). It takes time to make, and you may want to spread the work out over two days. But it was the first spanakopita I’ve ever made that my whole family loved. The baklava recipe is one my older daughter got from a friend.

Unfortunately, I have lost the source, but it is terrific and quite easy; the kind of dessert that elicits oohs-and-ahhs from guests.

SPINACH, DILL AND FETA BAKED IN PHYLLO DOUGH (SPANAKOPITA)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the dough
6 onions, peeled and chopped
3/4 uncooked long-grain white rice
4 to 4-1/2 pounds fresh spinach, tough stems removed, rinsed
2-1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
3 scallions, trimmed, white and green parts chopped
3/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
1-1/2 cups finely crumbled feta cheese (about 6 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound phyllo dough (20 to 24 sheets), thawed

Make the filling: Heat 1/2 cup of the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach in 5 batches, adding about 1/2 teaspoon of the salt with each batch. (Throw in any remaining salt with the last batch.) Wait until each batch of spinach is wilted before adding more. When all of it has wilted, stir in the scallions, parsley and dill. Strain off the liquid and spread the mixture out on a jellyroll pan (or other large baking sheet with sides) to cool. Gently stir in the feta and pepper. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate it overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with olive oil. Line the bottom of the dish with half of the phyllo dough (10 to 12 sheets), layering each sheet one at a time and brushing each sheet lightly with olive oil before adding the next.

Spread the spinach filling evenly over the dough. Cover with remaining sheets of phyllo, layering and brushing as you did for the bottom crust. Brush the top with olive oil and either tuck the excess dough into the pan, or trim with a knife or scissors.

Score the top into 12 squares, taking care not to cut more than the top layer or two of phyllo. Bake about 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool a bit, then cut along the score lines and serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 12 servings

Recipe from “Cat Cora’s Kitchen” by Cat Cora with Ann Krueger Spivak (Chronicle Books, 2004)

BAKLAVA

1 pound walnuts, chopped fairly finely
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 pound unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup water
1 pound phyllo dough (20 to 24 sheets), thawed

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a bowl, stir together the walnuts, 1 cup of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon cloves.

Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking pan (preferably glass) with melted butter. Line the dish with one quarter of the phyllo (4 to 6 sheets), layering each sheet one at a time and brushing each lightly with butter before adding the next. Spoon about 1/3 of the nut mixture over the phyllo. Continue layering until the dough, nuts and butter have been used up. (You will have four layers of phyllo dough — including the top layer — and three layers of nut mixture.) Brush the top with butter and pour any remaining butter over the dish.

With a sharp knife, cut the baklava diagonally to form 24 diamond-shaped pieces. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Mix the water, the remaining 2 cups sugar, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon cloves in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Pour the simmering syrup evenly over the cooled baklava. Allow to cool completely before serving.
Yield: 24 pieces

Phyllo may be tricky to work with, but spanakopita – generously filled with spinach, rice and herbs – shows it’s worth the effort. Photograph by Maren Caruso for Recipe from “Cat Cora’s Kitchen” by Cat Cora with Ann Krueger Spivak (Chronicle Books, 2004)