Chef Milosh at CUESA San Francisco’s Ferry Building farmers market making Spanakopita from scratch. Here’s the recipe if you’d like to try it at home.
Phyllo Dough Ingredients*:
- 300 g flour
- 5g Salt
- Lukewarm Water As Needed (around 100ml)
- 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
*Or buy pre made phyllo dough, my recommendation is eastern European stores as it’s not as thin as phyllo dough from a regular grocery store.
Filling Ingredients:
- 100g Feta Cheese – Crumbled
- 2 Eggs – Lightly whipped
- ¼ Cup Sour Cream
- 100g Spinach or Nettle – Blanched and Roughly Chopped
- 2 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- Vegetable Oil for drizzle
Filling Instructions:
Combine everything together in a bowl, and place it in the fridge.
Dough Instructions:
- Mix flour and salt.
- Add water and knead until smooth.
- Cover dough lightly with oil and place it in a bowl.
- Cover the dough surface with saran wrap and let it rest for 25 min.
- Use a clean table cloth or sheet that you wouldn’t mind getting stained.
- Place it on your dining table.
- Sift lightly flour over it.
- Place dough in the middle, and sift lightly flour on top of the dough as well.
- Start stretching it with a rolling pin as thin as you can.
- Then start stretching with hands like pizza dough.
- Place it back on a cloth and with the tip of your fingers gently stretch the edges.
- Start from one spot, and go around the table.
- Repeat a few times if needed.
- The goal is paper thin dough.
- If it breaks a bit, it’s fine, do not worry much about it.
- When stretched, cut it in half right through the long middle.
- Drizzle both sides lightly with oil.
- Spread filling on both sides.
- Hold the edge of the table cloth parallel with the cut in the middle, and start pulling it up so phyllo starts rolling down. Repeat the same thing with the other part.
- Place it on a sheet tray that was lightly coated with oil. When placing it do it in a circle like a snail shell.
- Bake in the oven at 400 F for 30-35 min, or until golden color. Check on it a couple of times and rotate it as well.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes, cut and serve warm or cold.
- If you’re using phyllo dough from the store, no need for a tablecloth.
- Use one layer and drizzle oil on it, cover with one more layer, drizzle oil again and fill too, and roll it with your hands. Place on an oiled sheet tray flat (no need to circle it) repeat until you use all sheets. Brush with oil on top and bake the same way.
Enjoy!
