Making Homemade Phyllo Dough
Homemade phyllo is a test of patience and surface area. It requires turning a simple mixture of flour, water, oil, and vinegar into sheets so thin you can read a newspaper through them. You achieve this by resting the dough long enough to relax the gluten, then stretching it manually over a floured cloth until it covers the entire tabletop.
Commit to the stretch
The secret is room temperature. If the kitchen is too cold, the dough stiffens and tears; if it is too hot, the dough loses its elasticity.
- large mixing bowl
- cotton tablecloth
- long, thin wooden rolling pin
- bench scraper
What goes in.
- 500gall-purpose flour
- 250mlwarm water
- 3 tbspolive oil
- 1 tbspwhite vinegar
- 1 tspsalt
Using the back of your hands
Once the dough is rolled thin, transition to stretching it by sliding the backs of your hands underneath the center, moving outward toward the edges to gently pull the gluten without creating holes.
The method.
Mix the dough
Combine flour and salt. Create a well in the center for the water, oil, and vinegar. Gradually draw in flour until a shaggy mass forms.
Knead aggressively
Turn the dough onto a counter. Knead for 10-12 minutes. The surface must turn smooth and slightly tacky, not sticky.
Rest the gluten
Divide the dough into 8 equal balls. Brush them lightly with oil and cover with a warm bowl. Let them sit for at least one hour.
Initial roll
Dust your tablecloth with flour. Roll one ball out to the size of a dinner plate using the wooden pin.
The extension
Wrap the dough around the wooden pin and roll it back and forth, applying outward pressure with your palms to widen the sheet.
Final thinning
Lay the sheet over the cloth. Carefully lift the edges with your knuckles, pulling outward until it is translucent.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If the dough keeps springing back when you roll it, walk away and let it rest for another 15 minutes.
Keep the sheets you are not working on covered with a slightly damp towel so they do not dry out and become brittle.
Use a fine-mesh sieve to dust your tablecloth with flour to ensure an even, thin layer that prevents sticking.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why use vinegar?
The acid in the vinegar helps to break down the gluten slightly, which makes the dough more elastic and easier to stretch without snapping back.
Can I use a pasta machine?
A pasta machine is rarely thin enough for traditional phyllo. Hand-stretching is necessary to reach the required transparency.
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