Cooks Note How To Handle Phyllo Filo Dough Recipes

HOMEMADE PHYLLO (OR FILO) DOUGH

Steps:

• Place 2 cups flour in a mixing bowl; make a well in the center. Drizzle in olive oil and add salt; add white wine vinegar and warm water. Mix until dough just comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 1 or 2 minutes. Transfer dough ball to a lightly floured work surface.
• Knead until dough is smooth, using just enough flour to keep it from sticking to the work surface or your hands, 2 or 3 minutes. Continue to knead until dough is supple and elastic, about 5 more minutes. Wrap dough ball in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature, 1 to 2 hours.
• Divide dough into 20 (20 gram) portions using a kitchen scale; roll each portion into a ball. Place on plate and cover with plastic wrap to prevent dough balls from drying out while you begin to roll them out. Work in batches of 5.
• Mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons flour together in a bowl. Dust a work surface and the first dough ball with the cornstarch mixture. Flatten out the dough ball and roll out into a circle, about 5 inches in diameter. Dust again with cornstarch mixture. Set circle to one side. Roll out 4 more dough balls to about the same diameter and stack them on the first one, dusting each layer with more of the cornstarch mixture to keep them from sticking together.
• When you have 5 circles, roll out the stack to a larger circle about double in size, turning as you go to maintain a round shape. Separate each layer and lay out the circles. Re-apply more cornstarch mixture where needed and restack them. Roll again until the 5-layer stack is paper thin, about 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Place on a sheet of parchment paper; top with another piece of parchment. Gently roll up the dough; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate.
• Repeat with the remaining 15 balls of dough in batches of 5.

BASIC PHYLLO DOUGH

Steps:

• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine 3 1/4 cups of the flour and salt. Add the water, olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice. Mix on low speed for 3 minutes, then increase speed to medium. Knead with the hook, stopping the mixer to add additional flour in 1/4-cup increments as needed, until the dough is very smooth and pliant. The whole mixing process should take about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature. You can store the dough, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two weeks. Bring to room temperature before using. (If it's frozen, first defrost in the refrigerator.)

FISH IN A PHYLLO (FILO) PARCEL WITH DILL AND LIME

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 220°C conventional or 200°C fan forced.
• Combine the butter, lime rind and dill.
• Brush one sheet of phyllo pastry lightly with the lime butter.
• Sprinkle pastry randomly with sprigs of dill. Top with another layer of pastry, brush with lime butter and fold phyllo in half horizontally.
• Brush the fish fillets with lime butter.
• Combine vegetables and place 1/4 on top of pastry sheet, top with a piece of fish.
• Fold in the sides of pastry over the fish, then bring the top and bottom edges of pastry over the fish to form a parcel. Place parcel seam-side down onto a paper-lined baking tray. Brush top of pastry parcel with lime butter. Repeat process with remaining fillets and pastry.
• Bake at 220°C conventional or 200°C fan forced for 15-20 minutes until pastry is golden. Serve with steamed potatoes and salad.

COOK'S NOTE: HOW TO HANDLE PHYLLO (FILO) DOUGH

Steps:

• Traditional Greek and Middle Eastern bakers prepare phyllo from scratch, stretching the dough to an incredibly paper-thin leaf. Frozen phyllo from the supermarket is an excellent and infinitely easier alternative. Phyllo is used for both sweet and savory dishes.Before you begin using phyllo, lay a piece of plastic wrap (larger than the phyllo dough) onto the counter. Unroll phyllo sheets onto the plastic wrap. To keep the paper-thin sheets of phyllo from drying out, which can happen in minutes, cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel, replacing the wrap immediately after you remove each sheet.The remaining phyllo dough can be rolled up, sealed tightly in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer