Sweet Bougatsa with Cream Filling
This classic Greek pastry features delicate, crispy phyllo dough wrapped around a rich, creamy semolina custard. It's a comforting and indulgent breakfast or dessert, best served warm with a dusting of cinnamon and powdered sugar.
An original recipe by Forkin
- Total time
- 1 hr
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Per serving
- 712 kcal
Allergen information: may contain eggs, gluten, and milk. Always check ingredient packaging if you have an allergy.
Mise en place
Ingredients
Converted for display; the recipe amounts stay equivalent.
filling
- 720 mlwhole milk
- 150 ggranulated sugar
- 90 gfine semolina
- 2 pcsegg yolk
- 5 mlvanilla extract
- 30 gbutter, unsalted
pastry
- 450 gphyllo dough, thawed
- 150 gbutter, unsalted, melted
garnish
- 2 tbsppowdered sugar
- 1 tspground cinnamon
Equipment
saucepan · baking pan · pastry brush · knife · whisk
The method
Step by step
- 1
Begin by preparing the cream filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and granulated sugar over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
About 3 min
- 2
Gradually whisk in the fine semolina, ensuring no lumps form. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to a custard-like consistency, about 5-7 minutes.
About 7 min
Cook’s note: Keep stirring to prevent the semolina from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.
- 3
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and filling butter until fully incorporated and smooth.
About 2 min
Cook’s note: Stir vigorously after adding the egg yolks to prevent them from scrambling in the hot mixture.
- 4
Transfer the cream filling to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and let it cool completely to room temperature.
About 10 min
Cook’s note: You can place the bowl in an ice bath to speed up the cooling process.
- 5
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and lightly grease a 23x33 cm (9x13 inch) baking pan.
About 5 min
- 6
Lay one sheet of phyllo dough in the prepared baking pan, allowing it to overhang the sides. Brush generously with the melted pastry butter.
About 1 min
Cook’s note: Work quickly with phyllo dough as it dries out fast. Keep unused sheets covered with a damp cloth.
- 7
Repeat this process with half of the phyllo sheets, layering each sheet and brushing with butter, until you have a base of about 6-8 buttered layers.
About 5 min
- 8
Evenly spread the cooled cream filling over the phyllo base in the pan.
About 1 min
- 9
Top the filling with the remaining phyllo sheets, repeating the layering and buttering process for each sheet, creating another 6-8 layers.
About 5 min
- 10
Fold the overhanging phyllo edges inwards to create a neat border and brush the top layer generously with any remaining melted butter.
About 1 min
- 11
Using a sharp knife, score the top layers of phyllo into serving-sized squares or diamonds, but do not cut all the way through to the filling.
About 1 min
Cook’s note: Scoring before baking helps prevent the top layers from cracking and makes for easier serving later.
- 12
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the phyllo is golden brown and crispy.
About 35 min
- 13
Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly in the pan for about 10 minutes.
About 10 min
- 14
Dust generously with powdered sugar and ground cinnamon before serving warm.
About 1 min
Per serving
Nutrition
- Calories
- 711.9kcal
- Protein
- 12.2g
- Carbs
- 89g
- Fat
- 34.5g
- Fibre
- 2.2g
- Sugar
- 36.4g
Estimated from the recipe’s ingredient quantities. Values can vary with brands and substitutions.
Keep it good
Store leftover bougatsa loosely covered in the refrigerator.
Reheat in a preheated oven at 150°C (300°F) for 10-15 minutes until warmed through and crispy.
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