Cheese bougatsa – Greek filo pastry with cheese filling for breakfast Recipe
Cheese bougatsa is a crispy filo pastry filled with a delicate, slightly salty cheese filling, often eaten in Greece for breakfast with coffee. In the streets of Thessaloniki or Athens you can buy it in bakeries from early morning, cut into squares and dusted with powdered sugar. It tastes a bit like a cross between cheesecake and a crunchy croissant.
This homemade bougatsa brings a taste of a Greek bakery breakfast straight to your kitchen: ultra-crispy layers of filo wrapped around a gently sweet, slightly salty cheese filling. The contrast of textures and the simple ingredients make it both comforting and elegant, and scoring the top before baking gives you perfectly portioned squares just like in Thessaloniki or Athens.
Chef's tips
Use good-quality, well-drained curd cheese so the filling is not watery – if your cheese seems very moist, you can briefly drain it in a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Work quickly with the filo so it doesn’t dry out; keep the sheets you’re not using yet covered with a clean, slightly damp kitchen towel. Don’t skip scoring the top before baking – it makes cutting much easier later and helps the steam escape, keeping the layers crisp.
How to serve
Serve warm squares of bougatsa on small plates, dusted generously with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Pair with strong Greek-style coffee, espresso or black tea. For a brunch spread, offer it alongside fresh fruit, Greek yogurt with honey and nuts, and a simple green salad for contrast.
Ingredients
- filo pastry - 250 g
- curd cheese - 400 g
- feta cheese - 80 g
- egg - 2 pieces
- sugar - 3 tablespoons
- vanilla - 1 teaspoon
- butter - 80 g
- milk - 50 ml
- salt - 0.25 teaspoons
- powdered sugar - 2 tablespoons
- cinnamon - 0.5 teaspoons
Preparation
- If you are using frozen filo pastry, take it out of the freezer in advance and defrost according to the instructions on the packet. Preheat the oven to 180°C (top and bottom heat). Lightly grease a baking dish of about 25×30 cm with butter.
- Mash the curd cheese thoroughly with a fork or briefly blend it so there are no large lumps. Add crumbled feta, sugar, salt, vanilla, milk and 1 egg. Mix to a smooth, uniform filling.
- Melt the butter and prepare a pastry brush (or use a folded paper towel for brushing).
- Lay the first sheet of filo pastry on the bottom of the dish so that the edges slightly overhang the sides. Brush it lightly with melted butter. Place another sheet on top and brush with butter again. Repeat until you have used about half of the pastry (4–5 sheets).
- Spread the cheese filling evenly over the prepared base and smooth the top with a spoon.
- Cover the filling with the remaining sheets of filo, brushing each sheet with butter before placing the next one on top. Finally, fold the overhanging edges of pastry inwards to form a neat frame.
- In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush it over the top of the pastry so it browns nicely.
- Before putting it in the oven, gently score the top with a sharp knife to mark out square or rectangular portions, but do not cut all the way through to the bottom.
- Bake the bougatsa for about 25–30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crisp and the filling is set. If the top is browning too quickly, loosely cover the dish with aluminium foil.
- After baking, leave the pastry to cool slightly for 10–15 minutes. Before serving, dust with powdered sugar mixed with cinnamon and cut into pieces along the previously scored lines.
Storage
Upieczoną bougatsę przechowuj w lodówce, najlepiej w pudełku, aby ciasto nie wysychało. Podgrzewaj w piekarniku lub na suchej patelni, żeby odzyskać chrupkość. Możesz też zamrozić pojedyncze kawałki i odgrzewać je bezpośrednio z zamrażarki.
