• Bougatsa (μπουγάτσα) is a Greek plyllo pastrie filled with custard cream. It is a Greeks favorite snack, breakfast, or even dessert, perfect for any time of the day. Although this seems like a difficult sweet to make it is actually an easy one. It takes about 30 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook. Here is our favorite recipe with detailed instructions.

Ingredients:

• 1egg, room temperature
• 1egg yolk, room temperature
• 59.14ml sugar
• 354.88ml whole milk
• 59.14ml semolina (farina)
• 118.29ml butter, cut into bits
• 9.85ml fresh lemon juice
• 1lemon, zest of
• 2.46ml vanilla extract
• 8-10phyllo pastry, thawed, covered with dampened towel
• 118.29ml butter, melted
• icing sugar
• cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Beat eggs until frothy; beat in sugar until thick and foamy, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
2. Heat milk in medium pot until hot but not boiling.
3. Remove from heat and whisk into egg mixture in a thin stream until all the milk mixture is used up – never stop whisking.
4. Pour custard mixture back into pot and set on medium-low heat; cook, stirring constantly, about 3-4 minutes.
5. Gradually sprinkle in semolina, letting it flow out of your hand in a thin stream; add a pinch of salt.
6. Reduce heat to very low, cook, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth, about 5-6 minutes. Whisk in pieces of cut up butter, incorporating completely into the semolina custard.
7. Remove, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard and cool completely.
8. When cool, stir in juice, lemon zest and vanilla.
9. Preheat oven to 350°F.
10. Unroll one sheet of phyllo, keeping remainder covered with dampened kitchen towel.
11. Place on a work surface, with narrow end facing you.
12. Brush lightly with melted butter.
13. Place 3 tbsp of custard on lower 1/3 of phyllo.
14. Using a thin, flexible spatula, spread custard into a wide rectangle, approximately 10×5 inches, nearly covering lower third of phyllo.
15. Fold right and left sides of phyllo towards center so that edges just meet; lightly brush folded sides with butter.
16. Fold lower third up and brush with butter.
17. Fold upper third down and brush with butter.
18. It should now look like an envelope.
19. Place on a lightly buttered baking sheet and repeat envelope-making procedure 7-9 more times (depending on how many bougatsa you are making).
20. Brush tops of bougatsa with any remaining butter and bake until golden-brown, about 15-18 minutes.
21. Let cool 20 minutes before serving.
22. Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar (you should see a coating of the icing sugar) and cinnamon.

 The above recipe is from Greek.Food.com

There are also other sweet or savory variations such as, mince meat bougatsa, spinach bougatsa, feta cheese bougatsa. 

 
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