It's Easier to Buy Phyllo Dough from the Store, But I remember How my Grandmother Used to Create the Translucent Sheet Dough from Scratch.
Most recipes for Paklava, that flaky, nut-filled confection so perfect with Turkish Coffee, begin by saying: “ Open and unroll a package of phyllo dough.” My grandmother made hers from scratch. The ingredients were simple enough - flour, cornstarch, eggs, olive oil, plus a bit of baking powder, a bit of salt and even a tablespoon or two of yogurt – but that was where simplicity ended and the artistry of a true craftswoman began.
The liquid ingredients were mixed together and then the dry were sifted in and the mixture was kneaded to form a soft dough. The dough was then divided into egg-shaped balls, rolled out, and placed in a floured pan overnight,
The “show” began the following day, when Grandma would cover her kitchen table with an oilcloth, take several of these balls and roll them into a great circle. After the circle had grown as big – and the dough as thin – as could be accomplished with a rolling pin, she would flour her fingers and begin to gently tease the dough out farther and farther, pulling the elastic dough into an ever thinner and ever bigger sheet that, when she was finished, would completely cover the table, falling over it as though it was itself a tablecloth. For a child, it was a magical thing to watch.
As I grew older, she would try to teach me the ancient method, but I never had her patience and, by then, the store-bought sheet dough was readily available. It was not as light or as flaky as hers – but it did the job. By the time I was ready to try again, to learn the old, authentic method, her fingers had long since surrendered to arthritis and the time of making phyllo dough from scratch had passed.
