Traditional Greek Bougatsa Cheese

Explore how you can make your own homemade Bougatsa Cheese at home, easily and quickly!

Bougatsa Cheese is a Greek traditional pastry made with thin, crispy phyllo pastry and is filled with cheese. The recipe comes from the Northern part of Greece where bougatsa is a famous breakfast and brunch option. Greek bougatsa is prepared from phyllo dough wrapped around a filling. After it is baked, it is cut into serving pieces and served hot.

Ingredients you will need for the béchamel:

• 50g butter
• 50g all-purpose flour
• 500g milk
• 500g feta cheese
• 1 egg
• Pepper

Ingredients you will need for the bougatsa:

• 200g feta cheese, grated
• 500g of phyllo dough (in sheets)
• 150g olive oil, for spreading on the phyllo

The steps:

• Heat the butter in a pot over medium heat.
• When the butter melts, add the flour to the pot and whisk until you have a thick paste. Scrape down the sides to make sure the flour doesn’t burn.
• Add the milk in batches whisking at the same time so that lumps are not formed in the béchamel.
• Remove pot from heat and crumble the feta. Add it to the pot along with the gruyere.
• Add the egg and pepper continuously whisking.
• Transfer the béchamel to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed. 
• Preheat oven over 180ο C (355* F) Set to Fan.
• Add the phyllo one by one to a 30×40 cm baking pan. Brush with lots of olive oil between each phyllo.
• Spread the filling above the phyllo in the baking pan, leaving a 2 cm space from the edges.
• Cover with the rest of the phyllo, brushing with olive oil in between.
• Turn the edges of the phyllo inwards to make the brim of the pie.
• Score the top of the pie into 12 pieces, sprinkle with black sesame and bake for 40-50 minutes in the oven. 
• Your Bougatsa Cheese is ready to eat! Enjoy!