Bougatsa 🇬🇷 A Greek dessert 2025 🎾for Tennis 🎾 friends. Food is my Love Language 🎾🎾🎾 6 of 7

phyllo pastry

🥗Healthier: whole wheat pastry

💰Cheaper: homemade dough

Whole wheat pastry adds fiber while homemade dough reduces cost.

semolina

🥗Healthier: oat flour

💰Cheaper: all-purpose flour

Oat flour is gluten-free and adds nutrition, while all-purpose is more affordable.

butter

🥗Healthier: coconut oil

💰Cheaper: margarine

Coconut oil is plant-based, while margarine is often less expensive.

milk

🥗Healthier: almond milk

💰Cheaper: soy milk

Almond milk is lower in calories, and soy milk is often cheaper.

Begin with the custard filling for the cake.

In a bowl, combine 3 egg yolks and 2/3 cup of granulated sugar. Beat with a hand mixer until powdery yellow.

Set stove to medium heat and add 2 1/2 cups of full fat milk to a saucepan.

Add the peel of a large lemon to the milk and let it simmer for approximately 10 minutes to infuse flavor.

After 15 minutes, remove the lemon peel from the milk.

Slowly add a little bit of the hot milk to the egg mixture to temper the eggs, stirring continuously.

Once tempered, add the egg mixture back to the saucepan with the remaining milk, stirring constantly.

Slowly mix in 1/2 cup plus 4 tablespoons of semolina while stirring until the cream thickens.

Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean extract to the custard and mix well.

Transfer the custard to a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming, and set aside to cool at room temperature.

Prepare an 8-inch springform pan by buttering it, dusting with flour, and placing parchment paper at the bottom.

Work quickly with the phyllo pastry, brushing each sheet with melted and cooled butter as you layer them in the pan.

Cover the phyllo sheets with a wet towel to prevent drying out while working.

Layer six sheets of phyllo, rotating the pan slightly with each layer for even coverage.

Once the layers are done, pour the cooled custard into the center of the phyllo layers.

Fold the phyllo edges loosely over the custard, ensuring no fancy folding is necessary.

If any areas of the phyllo appear dry, brush with a little melted butter.

Coat the entire cake with more melted butter around the sides.

Sprinkle with tubular sugar for added crunch and shine, if desired.

Preheat the oven to 360°F (182°C).

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes until golden brown.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens