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Phil’s Filo Pastry

8 cups of all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons of raki

2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 1/4 - 1 1/3 cups of warm water

flour for work surface and hands



Put the flour in a large mixing bowl, make a hole in the middle, add salt, oil, raki and a little bit of water. Mix it all in with your hands. If needed add more water until like a dough consistency. Take out and knead on a floured bench for a while. Put it back in the bowl and leave for at least 1/2 hour, covered with a clean table cloth.

Taste to see if it has enough salt, if not add a bit and mix in.

Roll into a fat sausage and cut into 8 portions.

The filo dough rolls better when soft and elastic. If it feels very stiff add a little more flour and mix in to make it softer.

You will need a long very thin rolling pin. Using the rolling pin, roll the pastry out (one portion at a time),into a large circle, very thin, adding flour to the surface as needed.

To do this, roll the dough around the pin - then roll it up, now spreading your fingers, work your fingers along the dough, out along the rolling pin. Then, push the dough away from you, pushing the pin away in a fairly fast motion so the dough unwinds from the pin. This process helps to stretch and lengthen the pastry. Turn the dough round by 1/2 and repeat many times until the pastry is very thin. (It will not be as thin as shop bought fillo pastry).

Use the oil to brush over the pastry and then use as per recipe.