Antigoni’s Trahanopita – Greek Sweet-Trahana Fillo Pie Recipe

Method

1. Making the dough…
2. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl
3. Add the olive oil and vinegar and combine with the flour
4. Add one cup of warm water and combine with the flour to form a dough
5. There will be unincorporated flour in your bowl. Add a small amount of water at a time and mix into the dough and remaining flour. Keep doing this until all the flour combines with the dough (the dough should be soft and pliable and even a tiny bit sticky)
6. Turn the dough onto your work surface and knead it for 1-2 minutes
7. Place the dough in a bowl, cover it with a clean damp towel and leave it to rest at room temperature for 2 hours
8. Preparing the trahana
9. Add water and trahana to a medium pot, bring to the boil and then reduce to a gentle boil and cook for approximately 20 minutes, until the trahana is al dente
10. Preparing the flour-cornflour dusting mixture (used to dust the fillo with as you roll it out)...
11. Combine 250g plain flour with 75g cornflour and set aside
12. Making the trahanopita…
13. After the dough has rested,divide it into 6 equal portions (you will only use 5)
14. Roll the portions into balls, place them on your work surface and cover them with the damp towel
15. Take one of the balls of dough,place it on a floured work surface (use the dusting flour) and using your Greekrolling pin, roll it out so it forms a disc of approximately 20cm in diameter
16. Take the disc of dough (fillo)and wrap it snugly around the rolling pin. Starting with both hands in themiddle of the fillo-pastry rolling pin, press the fillo lightly while movingyour hands away from each other. Ensure that the pressure on the fillo isuniform and you press all the way to the outer edges of the fillo.
17. Unravel the fillo sheet at anangle to its original orientation
18. Wrap the fillo onto the rollingpin again
19. Repeat the process above untilthe fillo sheet is approximately 50-60cm in diameter
20. Whenever the fillo becomessticky, dust it with the flour-cornflour dusting mixture
21. Drizzle the fillo sheet withEVOO and then fold it in half to form a double-layered semi-circle
22. Sprinkle trahana all over thesemi-circular fillo sheet, crumble feta all over the sheet too, drizzle with1/5 of the egg mixture, sprinkle with 2 level soup-spoons of sugar and drizzlewith EVOO
23. Starting with the straight edge of the semi-circle, roll the fillo into a log, ensuring the open seam is on the bottom
24. Twist the log into a coil
25. Generously oil the base of around baking dish (preferably aluminium or stainless steel and approximately 38-40 cm in internal diameter) with EVOO
26. Transfer the pita coil to the pan
27. Repeat 4 times
28. Drizzle the coils with EVOO and sprinkle them with water; massaging the oily water into all the nooks and crannies
29. Baking and serving the trahanopita
30. Bake at 180°C fan-forced for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool before serving!
31. Kali Orexi!