Fillo and Strudel Pastry

The word ‘fillo’ in Greek means leaf, which is what the sheets of this extra-thin dough are like. Commercially made fillo pastry is also suitable for making quick-and-easy strudel recipes. Fillo and strudel pastry made from flour, water, salt and oil is stretched to develop the gluten in the flour until the dough is so thin that you can actually read through it! It can be made at home but it takes skill and practice to achieve perfection and hardly seems worth the time or trouble when fresh or frozen fillo is so easily avail able. A packet of fresh fillo will last up to a month in the refrigerator and several months if frozen. Once you have defrosted fillo dough, however, do not re-freeze it.