The Virtues of Frozen Dough: Part Two

I hope your nightmares over working with dough are long gone.  But if you’re still unsure about whether working with dough is for you—read on.  As part of the next step in your rehabilitation, let’s talk about Phyllo Dough.

Now Phyllo Dough consists of super thin sheets of flaky pastry.  That means it can be hard to work with if you don’t follow a few tricks.  First, defrost it in the fridge overnight. Then, GENTLY roll it out. If it resists and tries to break, follow the instructions in The Virtues of Frozen Dough: Part One. Now cover the rolled out phyllo with a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper and then a cool, damp tea towel. This will prevent it from drying out or getting too warm.

Place either one stick of butter in a bowl and melt it in the microwave on low. Or for a healthier twist, pour some olive oil into a bowl. You’ll also need a pastry brush. (I like the silicone versions.) You should also assemble a filling.  I like to defrost frozen spinach and add feta cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Be sure to squeeze out all the excess moisture in the spinach or you’ll end up with a soggy mess in the oven.

OK. Here’s the part where lots of people lose it: the assembly. My advice: it doesn’t have to be perfect. It might look a little messy. Don’t sweat it. It will all come out perfectly toasted and warm in the oven.

To assemble, gently and slowly lift two or three layers of phyllo off the stack, be sure to recover with the parchment and tea towel, and place the few layers on a clean, dry surface. Brush with butter or olive oil. Repeat once with another layer of dough and butter or olive oil. Take a knife, or my favorite, a pastry roller, and divide the dough into three strips long ways. Then scoop about a tablespoon of filling onto the top edge and roll it up like a little paper football you used to play with in elementary school.  Lay all of the triangles on a cookie sheet and brush them with butter or olive oil. Then follow the instructions for baking on the package of the phyllo. Congratulations, you just made Spanikopita!

If all the cutting and folding is too much for you, just leave the sheets whole and spoon a line of filling along one edge. Then roll the whole thing up into a log shape. Score one inch sections with a knife, just on the top, you can break them apart later, and bake. (This idea came from Susan Green of the Birmingham Bake and Cook Company. Thanks, Susan!)

That’s it. Just defrost, roll out, fill, roll up and bake. You can even puree a dip of cucumber, yogurt and dill in the food processor to go with them. Your friends and family will be so impressed. But be careful, they may start requesting your delicious frozen dough creations and then you’ll be known as the friend who knows how to cook! What a nightmare that will be!