How Traditional Greek Bougatsa Phyllo Pastry Is Made | Regional Eats

Phyllo means leaf in Greek: a name that couldn’t be more accurate. Phyllo pastry is made from many thin layers and is achieved by a very complex lamination that involves not only a fat, like butter or margarine, but also oil. The oil adds extra slip and makes it incredibly difficult to stretch — so difficult that despite phyllo's popularity all over Greece, most bakers have given up making it by hand. We visited Philippos Bandis in Thessaloniki, one of only a few artisanal producers left who is still making phyllo by hand.