Greek Custard Pie - Bougatsa With Pumpkin

The Greek custard pie or Bougatsa with custard, as we call it in Greek, is a pie that you can find in bakeries and small pastry shops when you visit Greece. Bougatsa is actually a type of pastry that is very thin and stretchy. There is a specific technique to open that type of pastry and requires skills and experience to perfect it. You can find many different Bougatsas with savory or sweet filling, with the custard being the most popular one. Here, I’m using stored bought phyllo pastry to make things easier and a personal twist for the custard where I’ve added pumpkin purée.

The inspiration for this Greek custard pie with pumpkin came after Halloween, when I had all these pumpkins and had to think of ways to use them. I decided to add some pumpkin purée to the custard to make it more autumny, and oh my, it tasted heavenly! I used my own homemade pumpkin purée but you could also use canned one to speed up the process. You are going to love this creamy pumpkin custard pie wrapped in crispy phyllo pastry! Serve it for breakfast with a cup of coffee or have a piece for dessert. It’s great for anytime of the day!

Why you should try my recipe

• Easy steps to follow to make a bougatsa with store bought pastry.
• Nice idea to use your fall pumpkins or squashes.
• Great dessert for halloween and thanksgiving season.
• Perfect creamy custard and crispy phyllo pastry

Ingredients & How-to

To make this Greek bougatsa with pumpkin, you will need phyllo pastry and butter, and the ingredients for the custard: fine semolina flour , milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin purée, cornstarch and vanilla extract.

1. Preparing the custard

I always start with preparing the custard so it has some time to cool down whilst preparing the pastry.

01. To start, I add the milk to a pot and heat it up. I just want it to get hot but not boiling. It will take something between 4-5 minutes. When the milk is ready, I turn off the heat and leave it in the pot.

02. In a big bowl, I add one whole egg, one egg yolk and the sugar. Don’t throw the egg white from the second egg. It’s an excellent source of protein and you can cook it for a couple of minutes and add it to salads. Using a whisk, I mix well the sugar and eggs, until the sugar has dissolved.

03. Then, with a ladle, I pour 3-4 scoops of the hot milk to the egg and sugar mixture. Remember to keep whisking while adding the hot milk slowly into the mixture. What we are trying to do here is slowly increase the temperature of the eggs. Then, I add the cornstarch and the vanilla extract and whisk a little bit to incorporate the cornstarch and avoid forming any lumps.

04. I add the egg, sugar & milk mixture back to the pot with the remaining milk and place it back on the stove. I turn the heat to medium and add the fine semolina flour and the pumpkin purée to the pot. You can use fresh pumpkin purée or canned one. I’ve used my own pumpkin purée from our halloween pumpkins that’s why the color is a light orange. If you are using canned pumpkin purée, the color will be a bit darker. Keep whisking to prevent sticking at the bottom. The custard is ready when it gets thick.

05. When the custard is ready, I turn off the heat and add one tablespoon of butter. That helps to get a more shiny and creamy texture, and also the cold butter will bring down the temperature and prevent the custard from getting even thicker. I remove the custard from the pot and add it to a bowl. I cover it with some cling film to prevent skin forming on top. The cling film should touch the surface of the custard.

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2. Assembling the Bougatsa

01. For assembling the bougatsa pie, I start with melting the butter in a small pan. Then, I brush the bottom of rectangular tray with butter. I usually use a pyrex tray around 35x23cm or 14x9 inches, but you could use any rectangular tray you have around that size.

Now I add the first layer of phyllo pastry to the bottom of the tray. I make sure the whole bottom of the tray is covered with the phyllo and there might be some excess hanging outside.

02. I’m adding 4 layers in total to the bottom of the tray for this Greek custard pie with pumpkin. In between the layers, I drizzle with the melted butter 3-4 times making sure that I don’t touch the phyllo with the brush. For the second layer, I place the phyllo in the middle left side, making sure the long left size of the tray is covered and there is some part of the phyllo hanging outside the tray. Same with the third layer, but covering the long right side of the tray. For the fourth layer, I just place it in the middle. Don’t forget to drizzle between the layers. What we are aiming for here, is to form a big pocket for the custard.

03. Now, I add the custard to the tray and spread it evenly with a spatula or a spoon. I fold inside all the phyllo pastry that is hanging outside. It won’t cover completely the custard. I drizzle with some more melted butter the top of the phyllo pastry.

04. For the top, I’m using three phyllo pastry layers. For these top layers, I’m keeping all the phyllo inside the tray by folding it gently with my fingers. The phyllo will look a bit messy and will not be completely straight. That’s what we are aiming for. Again, I drizzle with melted butter between each layer, but this time I gently touch the phyllo with my brush.

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05. To bake the bougatsa with pumpkin, I’m preheating the oven to 190°C/375°F and bake it for around 30-40 minutes. What we are aiming for here, is a nice golden brown color that will give the bougatsa a nice crispy phyllo.

Serving suggestions

Greek custard pie is served with dusted powdered sugar and cinnamon. You could serve a small piece as a dessert after food or for brunch. The Greeks sometimes have it for breakfast on the go or late at night after being out for drinks. In my family, we love having it as a midday snack with a cup of coffee or tea, but as you can see, it’s a sweet indulgence that you can enjoy any time of the day.

Storage

I recommend storing the greek custard pie at room temperature for up to 3 days and cover it with some kitchen foil or towel. The phyllo pastry will get a bit softer after the first day, but the pie will still taste really good.

FAQ

• What is bougatsa pie? Bougatsa pie is a traditional Greek pie made with a very thin stretchy pastry and folded like an envelope. You can find several variations of bougatsa with different fillings. The most popular one is bougatsa with custard filling, but there are also savory bougatsa pies with cheese or mince filling.

• How to make Greek custard pie dairy free? To make the Greek custard pie dairy free, you could substitute the milk with a dairy free milk and the butter with a vegetable oil of your choice.

• How to serve Greek custard pie? To serve the bougatsa pie, dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon and serve while hot.

• How do I store the bougatsa pie? I recommend storing the bougatsa pie at room temperature for up to 3 days. Don’t put it in an airtight container as the phyllo will get very soft and lose most of its crispiness.