Greek Bougatsa Parcels With Custard Cream And Phyllo

Bougatsa is one of my favorite Greek treats, often enjoyed for breakfast alongside coffee. It comes with various fillings, but the most popular is a custard cream. The pastry used is very thin, traditionally made by stretching the dough by hand until it’s as fine as paper. Bougatsa can be savory, filled with ingredients like cheese or ground meat, or sweet, typically with a creamy filling.

Here, I’d like to share a simple way to make bougatsa at home using store-bought phyllo dough and a homemade semolina cream. I’m making bougatsa parcels that are perfect for enjoying solo or sharing with others. They’re similar in size to the ones found in Greek bakeries. If you would like to be more creative or simply try something different, have a look at my recipe for homemade bougatsa with a pumpkin cream filling.

Why you should try my recipe

• Easy to prepare cream filling.
• Detailed steps on how to fold parcels.
• Freezable bougatsa parcels for busy days.
• Great for breakfast or as a dessert.

Ingredients & How-to

To make these bougatsa parcels we are going to need some phyllo pastry and butter for the parcels and for the cream some milk, sugar, eggs, fine semolina flour, vanilla extract and butter.

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1. Preparing the bougatsa cream filling

01. To start, I add the eggs to a bowl and whisk lightly just to break them. Then I add the sugar and continue whisking until the sugar has dissolved.

02. I add the fine semolina flour to the bowl and mix it until it forms a thick cream. I’m using fine semolina to get a creamier custard. You could also use coarse semolina but the cream will have a grittier texture.

03. I add the milk to a big pot and turn the heat to medium. Do not set it too high as the milk at the bottom of the pot might get burnt. I leave it to warm up for 3-4 minutes and then with a ladle, I take some and pour it slowly into the bowl with the eggs, sugar and semolina. I keep whisking while pouring slowly 2-3 ladle spoons of the warm milk to raise the temperature of the eggs.

04. Then with the help of a spatula, I empty the contents of the bowl back into the pot with the remaining hot milk. With the heat set to medium-low, I continue whisking until the cream thickens and starts bubbling.

05. When little bubbles start to form, I turn off the heat. Now it’s time to add the vanilla extract and the cold butter. The vanilla will give the cream some more aroma and the butter will give us a more velvety texture and also helps to bring the temperature down quickly and stop the cream from thickening even further.

06. I move the cream to a bowl with a spatula and cover with some cling film to prevent forming a crust. We are going to leave the bougatsa cream aside to rest and cool down for at least an hour.

2. Preparing the parcels

01. To prepare the parcels, I open the package with the phyllo seats and lay them flat next to me. I cover them with a tea towel to prevent them from drying as they are very thin. In a small bowl next to me, I have the melted butter with a brush ready to be used. I take one of the phyllo sheets and place it in front of me. I brush half of it with butter and fold the other half on top. I repeat by brushing half and folding again, forming a rectangle. I set the phyllo rectangle aside for later.

02. I take a sheet from the phyllo sheet pile and place it in front of me. I brush the whole surface with melted butter with a brush. I place a phyllo sheet on top and repeat with brushing and placing a third sheet and brushing again with butter.

03. I now place the rectangle that I made at the start in the middle of the 3 piled phyllo sheets. We are basically making a little area in the middle where the cream is going to sit.

04. I take about 3 heaped tablespoons of the cream and place them on the rectangle. The recipe yields 4 bougatsa parcels so we are going to use about a quarter of the cream for each parcel.

05. I fold the long sides on top of the cream and brush them with butter.

06. Then I cover the bougatsa cream with one of the other sides and then fold the other on top, forming a little parcel.

07. I place each bougatsa parcel on a tray leaving some space between them so they don’t stick to each other and the hot air can move around and cook the phyllo evenly. I brush each parcel with the remaining melted butter and now they are ready for the oven.

08. The oven is preheated to 350F. It takes about 30-35 minutes for the bougatsa parcels to be cooked. Don’t underbake them as the pastry will not be as flaky. Wait until you have a nice golden brown color.

Tips

• When adding the ingredients to the pot with the hot milk, you need to keep whisking and stay close as the cream can easily get burnt at the bottom of the pot.
• Leave the cream to cool down for at least an hour, to prevent a soggy bougatsa.
• Serve the bougatsa when it’s still hot, cut into squares or in half to enjoy the most.
• Don’t forget to place the parcels with the folding sides at the bottom to prevent them from opening whilst in the oven.

Substitutions

• You could use a dairy-free milk and butter of your choice for a dairy-free bougatsa.
• For an eggless bougatsa cream, you could just leave the eggs out and add the sugar and semolina to the pot with the milk. The cream will still thicken, it will just have a whiter color.

Serving suggestions

You could serve the bougatsa parcels with some powdered sugar and cinnamon on top or with just some cinnamon. The local bakeries in Greece, usually cut each parcel into squares so it’s easier to eat with a fork.

Storage

Bougatsa is best enjoyed while it’s still warm and freshly made. If you do however have any leftovers, then I recommend storing it in the fridge and consume within 3-4 days. You can warm it up for a minute in the microwave to get a softer cream. The pastry will not be as flaky as when it’s fresh out of the oven, but it will still be delicious.

FAQ

• Can I have the bougatsa on the next day? Bougatsa can be stored in the fridge and enjoyed on the next day warmed up. The phyllo might be softer than when freshly made but it will still taste deliciously.