Bougatsa Recipe: Sweet Greek Semolina Custard Pie

Bougatsa is the best-known breakfast of Thessaloniki: crisp filo around a creamy semolina custard, dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon. You eat it warm, with a Greek coffee.

Serves: 8 | Prep: 20 min | Cook: 40 min

Ingredients

• 750 ml full-fat milk
• 100 g coarse semolina
• 120 g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 30 g butter
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 10 sheets filo pastry
• 100 g melted butter
• Icing sugar and cinnamon to dust

Method

1. Warm the milk, sugar and lemon zest. Sprinkle in the semolina while stirring and stir for 5 minutes until thick.
2. Take off the heat, stir in the butter and vanilla and cool for 10 minutes. Beat in the eggs.
3. Heat the oven to 180°C. Lay 5 sheets of filo in a greased baking dish, brushing each with butter.
4. Spread the custard over and cover with the remaining 5 buttered sheets.
5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden and crisp.
6. Let it cool a little, cut into pieces and dust generously with icing sugar and cinnamon.

Tips

• Keep stirring while the semolina cooks, or it turns lumpy.
• Eat bougatsa lukewarm, when the pastry is at its crispest.

Products from Bakaliko

• Myloi Ag. Georgiou - Coarse Semolina (Simigdali Xondro) 500 g
• Havelas - Handmade Greek Fillo 750 g
• Loumidis Papagalos - Greek Coffee 194 g

More Greek recipes

• Galaktoboureko: Greek semolina custard pie
• Savory bougatsa with minced meat and feta