Greek Milk Pie - Galatopita
This traditional Greek milk pie is creamy, sweet and one of the easiest pie to bake. Super delicious, it is perfect for any special occasion.
Ingredients
FOR THE FILLING
- 4 cups (1 liter) whole milk, preferably from goat or sheep
- 1 cup (250g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120g) fine semolina
- ½ cup (125g) butter, unsalted, preferably from goat or sheep
- 5 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 small lemon, the zest
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch of salt
FOR THE PHYLLO
- 5 phyllo pastry sheets (thin phyllo)
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons melted butter, unsalted, preferably from goat or sheep
FOR THE TOPPING
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
FOR THE FILLING
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a heavy-bottomed pot heat the milk with the butter over medium heat until lightly simmering. Add the sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and gradually the semolina on low heat. Stir constantly until it thickens and be careful not to burn it. The custard is thick enough in more or less 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, beat the eggs and gradually (and very slowly) incorporate them into the custard mixture whisking continuously.
FOR THE PHYLLO
- In a small bowl combine ground cinnamon with the granulated sugar.
- Grease well a 12-inch (30cm) round x 2-inch (5cm) deep pan or tart pie dish or a pie dish or mold. With dry hands on a flat dry surface gently open and unfold the phyllo. Layer the first phyllo sheet. Cover the whole surface and leave the rest of it overhanging your baking dish. Brush the whole surface and the edges with melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Small breaks or cracks aren't a problem.
- Carefully place a second sheet on top of the first. At this point the whole baking dish should be covered with phyllo dough. Brush completely with butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat with the remaining phyllo sheets.
- Pour the filling over the phyllo and spread it evenly with a spatula. Use a knife to cut the overhanging dough. Don't cut all of it because we need enough dough to form a beautiful ring around the baking dish.
- Fold the overhanging dough to create a ring all around the baking dish. Brush the ring with butter.
FOR THE TOPPING
- Whisk together all the ingredients and brush it over the surface of the custard.
- Bake at 350 °F (180°C) for about 45 minutes on the rack just below the middle of the oven. Let it cool for half an hour. Sprinkle with icing sugar and cinnamon (both optional).
Notes
If you use frozen phyllo, thaw completely in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before using. Don't let it thawed quickly outside the fridge because the dough will be gummy. On the contrary partially frozen dough will crack when rolled out of the package.
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