Kouluria
Earlier this week my husband began to speak nostalgically and longingly about Kouluria, a kind of Greek cookie that he remembers eating in Tarpon Springs, FL at the National Bakery. When his family vacationed in Florida, they would go to the bakery and buy a large bagful, then happily munch them all the way home to Illinois--if they even lasted that long. His parents have now passed away, and I think the memory was triggered by the anniversaries of his father's birth and of his mother's death, both in the latter part of January.
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I googled the name, and even looked at the National Bakery (Tarpon Springs) website. I did some surfing in quest of recipes, but there seem to be many variations, and I am distrustful of most on-line recipes. I noted that one on YouTube uses Baker's Ammonia, which may correspond to producing the texture he remembers. I would like to try and re-create this cookie for him, so I am hoping that someone has a recipe that might resemble what that bakery sells.

posted by: bakeraunt on January 26, 2014 at 1:09 am in General discussions

reply by: KAF_MaryJane on January 26, 2014 at 9:51 am
Hi there,
I would suggest checking out http://www.hungrybrowser.com. It's a great place to find "lost" recipes and has the most amazing archives!
Good luck!

reply by: robinwaban on January 26, 2014 at 10:41 am
Bakeaunt- My husband has a Greek assistant and her mother would make these cookies every year. She knew how much I love them and would bring in a bag for me. They're also known as koulourakia (sp?). Last year the mom went into a nursing home and I'd love to make them for her this time. They are a slightly sweet figure 8 cookie, a bit on the dry side. But with a cup of coffee or tea, they're divine! Post a recipe if you do make them and your DH likes them.

reply by: frick on January 26, 2014 at 2:01 pm
Are these the cookies with clove flavoring?

reply by: bakeraunt on January 26, 2014 at 3:04 pm
No, these cookies do not have cloves. The only flavoring is vanilla.
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Robin: If I find a recipe I will post it.
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Mary Jane: I did a preliminary look on that site and did not find the cookies. I will go back and look again when I have more time.
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I plan to look through every cookie recipe book I have this week.

reply by: robinwaban on January 26, 2014 at 3:10 pm
Bakeraunt- There's a Youtube video that will show you how to shape and form them. They are buttery, almost with the flavor of shortbread. So hard to explain unless you've had them. They are very crumbly. I'm going to try my hand at them.

reply by: bakeraunt on January 26, 2014 at 3:18 pm
Robin, my husband remembers them as not crumbly. He says that when they are fresh they are almost "rubbery." Hmm--maybe I can convince him that a trip to Tarpon Springs, FL is in order for research purposes!

reply by: Mike Nolan on January 26, 2014 at 3:52 pm
There are probably lots of variations both in taste and shape for this traditional Greek cookie; you'll find a number of pictures and recipes for them if you search for koulourakia cookies.
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The wikipedia articles says they are usually coated with sesame seeds and may have a clove in the middle of them.

reply by: PaddyL on January 26, 2014 at 5:19 pm
I just found a recipe for Koulourakia (Greek Easter Cookies) in Sharon Tyler Herbst's Joy of Cookies.
Preheat oven to 375F.

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 tsp.baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp. brandy or milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp. milk for glaze
about 3 tbsp. sesame seed

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, brandy, and vanilla, beating well after each addition. Stir in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, blending well after each addition.
Working with rounded teaspoons of dough, use your palms to roll each piece back and forth on a lightly floured work surface until it forms a 6-inch rope. Bring ends together to form a hairpin shape; gently twist 'hairpin' 2 or 3 times. Lightly pinch ends together. Place, 1 inch apart, on greased, or parchment-lined, cookie sheets. Brush with egg glaze; sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake 10 to 13 minutes, or until golden. Cool on racks. Store in airtight container at room temperature 2 weeks. Makes about 4-1/2 doz.

She does say that the recipe can be doubled as they are "irresistible."

I know I've got other recipes for this cookie and I will look them up to see if there are any major differences.

reply by: Mike Nolan on January 26, 2014 at 5:34 pm
I think the shape I've seen these done in most frequently is two twisted strands, but I've seen them curled into two spirals going in opposite directions, too.

reply by: frick on January 26, 2014 at 6:23 pm
I found two recipes in my one and only Greek cookbook. Each uses 11-12 cups of flour. One has 8 eggs, one has 6 eggs. Both are cut in shapes with cookie cutters. Are you interested in one of these?
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I just found another in my "International" cookie cookbook lightly flavored with cloves and citrus, and rolled into 'snakes' which are curved into rings and other loopy shapes. These sound REALLY good.
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Koulourakia
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1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups AP flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pinch of cloves
Zest of one small orange
Zest of one small lemon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp flavorless veg. oil
6 Tbsp softened unsalted butter
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp brandy or orange juice
2-3 Tbsp conf. sugar for garnish
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Toast walnut on a baking pan at 325 for 7-8 minutes; set aside to cool.
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Stir together flour, b. powder, b. soda and cloves. Process zests with sugar for several minutes until zests are finely minced. Stop the processor and scrape down several times. Add the walnuts and veg. oil and process into a puree. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
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Whirl butter in processor until light and creamy. Add zest-walnut mixture, egg, egg yolk and brandy and process until well mixed. Sprinkle in dry ingred. and process are just mixes. Do not over process. Divide dough in half and wrap. Refrigerate until cold and fairly stiff, at least 1 1/2 hours.
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Reset oven temp to 350. Working with half of dough at a time, pinch off 1-inch pieces of dough. Roll into 4 1/2 to 6-inch long rope. Handle dough quickly or it will become too soft. Shape each rope into circle, loop, S-shape or as desired. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until light golden brown on top and slightly darker on edges. Turn baking sheets around at halfway mark, to encourage even baking. Allow to cool on b. sheets 3 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool. Sift conf. sugar over if desired. Store airtight.
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Yield: 30 cookies

reply by: robinwaban on January 26, 2014 at 6:30 pm
Watch this Youtube video. It gives the recipe at the end. This one has 9 cups of flour and a pound of butter. Yikes. Also, does the woman in the video pick her nose before she starts? Ew. But I did like watching her.

reply by: PaddyL on January 26, 2014 at 7:06 pm
I think she's scratching her upper lip with her little finger. Did you see those tablespoons?!

reply by: frick on January 26, 2014 at 7:12 pm
I thought she was scratching the side of her nose, or maybe the lip.
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Yes! Did you see how she measured that baking powder. Yikes! How would we ever get it right?
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I also watched another one below that, that used ammonia. She also measured the ammonia the same way, gigantic amounts. She said that it was "hard to find". No kidding. But her mom bought it for her, and should be easy to find, at a Greek store. I suspect a lot of recipes leave it out for that reason.

reply by: bakeraunt on January 26, 2014 at 9:03 pm
I watched the video that Robin found, and I will give that one a try in a few days and report back--although I think that I will halve the recipe. The one my husband remembers has no spices other than vanilla, and no nuts or fruit, so this one seems a good place to start the quest. I also watched the video of the lady who used baking ammonia, but I would have to order that, so I will start with what I have. The lady in the video knew how her dough should feel, and she was able to measure, as people here noted with a regular teaspoon. She even measured her vanilla by pouring it into the lid of the bottle! That makes me a little nervous about replicating the results.
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Robin: what kind of flour do you think? Perhaps not the King Arthur but something not as strong, such as Gold Medal?
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I suspect that Kouluria or Koulourakia, like the German cookie Pfeffernusse, has regional variations. (It took me several tries to find what I consider THE recipe.)

reply by: robinwaban on January 26, 2014 at 9:21 pm
I will ask tomorrow at work. I'll sign on if I can and let you know ASAP.

reply by: PaddyL on January 26, 2014 at 9:46 pm
Have you never measured vanilla by pouring it into the bottle lid? My mother used to do that all the time.

reply by: frick on January 26, 2014 at 11:15 pm
I used to do that all the time. Now I have a bottle like a vinegar cruet with a little spout rather like the pouring spout on liquor at a bar. I just refill the bottle.

reply by: robinwaban on January 27, 2014 at 9:21 am
Bakeraunt - Here's the skinny. I shouldn't use that term when it comes to baking. Our Greek assistant said the cookies are made with regular unbleached AP flour. Her mom uses powdered sugar in the recipe, not sure how much. She's going to bring her recipe in and I will try them. I told her your husband said the cookie was rubbery. That is definitely not the texture for these cookies. I will let you know what the recipe involves as soon as I get it. Put more feelers out there. Call the bakery in Tarpon Springs, haha. Tell them to send a batch to your DH.

reply by: bakeraunt on January 27, 2014 at 2:18 pm
Thanks for checking on the flour Robin. I'm not sure what my husband meant by "rubbery." I think he meant that they did not crumble all over the place or his Mom would have banned eating them in the car. Let me know how the recipe comes out. I will try the other recipe later this week and report back.
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My DH says that his mother did try making these once (he has no idea where she got the recipe) and that they all agreed the cookies were ok but lacked that special something.
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Thank you to all who responded on this topic. I still hope that there are some additional suggestions out there.

reply by: robinwaban on January 28, 2014 at 10:09 pm
Ok, Bakeraunt, I made them. Really delicious! I posted a pic. Much flakier than my Greek friend's mother makes. I used 2 sticks of butter creamed with 1 c of powdered sugar. To that I added one egg, 1 tbsp of milk and a tsp of vanilla. I gradually added 2.5 cups flour mixed with 1 tsp salt and 1.5 tsp baking powder. The dough should be easy enough to roll between your palms to get about a 6 inch roll or strand. Add a little more flour if it's too sticky. .I used a tsp. sized scoop to portion out the dough. Fold the strand in half and twist. Lay on baking sheet covered with parchment. Brush an egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp of milk onto the cookies. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 375 for about 13-15 min. until they start to turn golden. Oh, you, yum yum! Your DH will remarry you.

reply by: Livingwell on January 29, 2014 at 6:06 am
Those sound so good! Saving this post for future deliciousness.

reply by: bakeraunt on January 29, 2014 at 11:59 am
Robin--ah, the best kind of research is the kind that we can eat! Thank you for doing this. It is a great hint to use the cookie scoop to get the right amount of dough. How many cookies did it make?
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I will try this one (but without sesame seeds for my husband), and I will try the other one. (I'm not sure now which to try first!) One will get tried this weekend. Sometimes a "plain cookie" is the best.

reply by: robinwaban on January 29, 2014 at 4:39 pm
The verdict from my Greek friend - The taste is there, but you should have baked them a little longer. Also, make them smaller.

I got around 2 dozen. My weight went up a pound since yesterday because I did so many "taste tests". Going to do another taste test with my afternoon coffee. Ha, ha!

reply by: omaria on January 29, 2014 at 5:31 pm
I am going to make these also . They look very good Robin.

reply by: bakeraunt on January 29, 2014 at 5:34 pm
Thanks for the update Robin. It's a hard job taste testing those cookies, I know, but someone has to do it! I note in the videos that the unbaked cookies look rather small, but they seem to expand a lot during baking. I will make mine a little smaller; that may take care of the baking time.
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The only other time my husband brought up a recipe from his childhood was when he recalled his Aunt Eileen's "Snails," which were a kind of sweet roll. I got the recipe from his cousin's wife. The first time that I baked them, he said it was close. I later found out that the aunt's three daughters and daughter-in-law, when comparing her recipes discovered that they all had different versions; she was an innovative baker all her life. I ended up doing my own take on them, and he pronounced them perfect. He said that they evoked the memory perfectly, whether they were exactly the same or not. We will see if either of the cookie recipes can do that.

reply by: frick on January 29, 2014 at 7:22 pm
So, Robin, this is the recipe that you more or less broke down from that Greek lady's video? The gal who said she was at her daughter's house in Ojai?
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Will definitely make these. Wish I could have today. People coming over & I was forced to drag out the dust rag, etc. instead of baking. Dagnabbit!

reply by: robinwaban on January 29, 2014 at 8:46 pm
The recipe I used is one that I googled by putting all the ingredients into the search bar. It is almost the same as the Greek lady video, except mine uses powdered sugar and about a quarter of the ingredients she used. My Greek friend's mother also used 2 eggs in her recipe and 1/4c. oil in addition to the butter. I couldn't find a recipe that had butter and oil. My friend's mom said to use less flour after she ate one of mine. Don't know how since the dough was a bit sticky. I'll try making them again. I know that feeling you had about cleaning. This is my trick though for unexpected company and my house isn't ready for them. The doorbell rings and I put my coat on. If it's someone I'm comfortable with seeing dishes in the sink I open the door and tell them I just came home. If it's someone who I want to think I'm perfect I tell them I'm on my way out the door and so sorry I don't have time to visit.

reply by: omaria on January 29, 2014 at 9:10 pm
Robin, that is funny. Usually I know before hand that people are coming over. I also feel I have to clean up for them and wait till the last minute. I hate house work. I rather bake or quilt and when it is just us I let a lot of things go. LOL.

reply by: Livingwell on January 30, 2014 at 8:06 am
Oh my gosh, Robin, that's too funny! If it's summer and too hot for a coat, grab your purse!

reply by: bakeraunt on January 30, 2014 at 3:25 pm
I went to Barnes & Noble today to check out the cookbook section. I looked through all the cookie books--nothing. I did find a single small paperback Greek cookbook: Greek Cooking for Everyone, by Theoni Pappas and Elvira Monore. From the recipes in there, it seems that Kouloura is a yeast bread, shaped like an enormous doughnut. Koulourakia appears to be the name for the cookies, which are also ring shaped or braided. My husband remembers them done as spirals at the National Bakery (like a snail) and from their website, they seem to call them Kouloura. The cookie recipe uses regular rather than powdered sugar. It does include 1/4 tsp. anise and 1/4 tsp. cloves but I will delete those when I try the recipe this weekend. This recipe also uses sesame seed. It uses milk in the egg glaze rather than water.
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I will report back on the results.

reply by: Mike Nolan on January 30, 2014 at 3:49 pm
My wife tells people who want a tour of our house (it was a show house 17 years ago this month) that they have to pretend it is clean. We just redid our laundry room (tore out a built-in cabinet, fixed the wall, redid the floor in ceramic tile and replaced both the washer and dryer), so we're still getting that part of the house put back in shape and getting caught up on dirty laundry, amazing how much of it you can get in a month!

reply by: robinwaban on January 30, 2014 at 4:13 pm
Bakeraunt. My new activity is to now go to the library and peruse the cookbook section. I was blown away. They must have 1000 cookbooks! So now what I do is check out 3 or 4 weekly. If the cookbook is absolutely one that has at least 20 recipes I would like to make I may try to buy it on e-bay or Amazon really cheap. If not, I take a picture of the recipe I like and make a PDF of it. Go to the library, take out a Greek food cookbook or two. It will save you a lot of money and it's a lot of fun.

reply by: frick on January 30, 2014 at 5:07 pm
Our library is small but it is the LA County System, after all, and I can request anything they have in their catalog. Right now I have 11 travel books on Greece -- we thought we were going but . . .
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Anyway, I'll see what is in their system on Greek cooking. But I bet with the recipes you have, you will eventually get it right. I think the clove cookies I saw were called Kourambiedes. Sometimes they are snail shaped with a whole clove stuck in them.
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There is a stupendous Greek cathedral, Saint Sophia, in the central city (not downtown), across from which is Papa Cristos' restaurant. We go a couple of time a year. I can't go until we get back from our trip to see the g'kids but will try to make it there later in Feb. This is from their bakery menu on their website:
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"Koulourakia"
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An Easter-season favorite, but we have this delicious “twisted” cookie all year. Simple ingredients, but old-fashioned technique make this cookie irresistible and also perfect for dunking in coffee.".

reply by: Livingwell on January 30, 2014 at 8:49 pm
Our library has quite a large cookbook section. I can easily leave with a stack of cookbooks that I can hardly see over to carry to the car!

reply by: bakeraunt on February 02, 2014 at 12:49 am
I baked Koulourakia today, using the recipe in the Greek cookbook I bought on Thursday. They are a big hit with my husband who says that they are very close to the cookies he remembers from The National Bakery in Tarpon Springs, FL. My first batch, he said, were a little small, so I made the rest larger. (I think the larger ones baked better.) I also had him look at the color, so that I would know if I had baked them long enough. (The recipe said 15-25 minutes, which is rather a long time span.) I made some adaptations. Here is the recipe as I baked it, along with some things I noted (how much dough to use, resting the dough).
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1 cup butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 C sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
5 cups flour (used King Arthur AP)
3 eggs
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 C milk (used nonfat--all I had in the house)
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1 egg with 2 Tbsp. milk for glaze
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I began by creaming the butter with the sugar and salt. I added the eggs, one at a time, beating after each (speed 2), then the milk and the vanilla.
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I sifted the 5 cups of flour, added sifted baking powder, then stirred to combine. I added that mixture slowly to the butter mixture (on 1 and 2 Cuisinart stand mixer), until combined.
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At first the dough was very sticky. However, it firmed up as I worked, so I suggest letting it sit for about 15-20 minutes before shaping--and do not be tempted to add more flour. I made ring shapes. I used small balls of dough (about 1-1 1/4 inches). I rolled them into a rope (about 4-4 1/4 inches), then made a circle (like a wreath). I shaped them on my silpat mat, which worked very well. I put 16 at a time on a parchment lined cookie sheet. I brushed with the glaze--don't skimp on it. I baked them for 21 minutes at 350F. I moved them to a rack to cool. The recipe made about 6 dozen.
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The original recipe did not mention salt. I think the authors must have used salted butter. It also included 1/4 tsp. anise, ground, and 1/4 tsp. ground cloves, and it included 1/2 C sesame seeds, that were sprinkled on after the glaze. The ones my husband recalls did not have sesame seed, and he cannot eat sesame seeds, so I omitted them. These are a very plain cookie, but they have a satisfying crunch, and they are delightful with coffee or tea.

reply by: robinwaban on February 02, 2014 at 1:13 pm
They sound delicious. What did DH say? Did he sigh and reminisce? I will try them again to try to get the texture better. Apparently I used too much flour. The taste was good. The only problem is that I keep eating them!

reply by: Livingwell on February 02, 2014 at 1:47 pm
You *have* to keep eating them, Robin, to see if you can pinpoint *exactly* what it is about them you want to change. It's all for the greater good, right? - LOL!

reply by: bakeraunt on February 02, 2014 at 8:45 pm
The cookies were good the first day, but the flavor improves the second day, after they have a chance to sit. (That is also my experience with shortbread.) I am hoping that they keep well. My husband says that the flavor is what he recalls. (He closed his eyes as he tasted them.) He says the ones he recalls were a bit thicker (not as flat). However, they are close enough to evoke the memory. They are perfect with coffee and tea.
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Robin: It has been fun working on this cookie with you. And thank you to all who helped with suggestions and searching YouTube and finding recipes.
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Now I am tempted to try baking the Greek bread....

reply by: robinwaban on February 03, 2014 at 5:33 pm
I make the Greek bread as well. You'd think I'd be Greek by now! I do not use whole eggs to decorate. I do buy the mastica and I forget the other spice. Last year I put some orange zest in it, and my Greek friend told me to leave it out this year. It's a simple recipe, but find one that doesn't include 8 or 9 cups of flour. My all-time favorite dessert is galactabourika. Oh my goodness, that it divine. We were in Greece a few years ago and I ate it every single day!!

reply by: Livingwell on February 03, 2014 at 6:22 pm
Oh my gosh, Robin, that is my favorite Greek dessert of all time, and I could eat it until I made myself sick! Soooo good!

reply by: robinwaban on February 03, 2014 at 11:13 pm
It's worth getting sick. Now, once when I was a teenager I ate a huge bag of Doritos all by myself and I can't eat them now. That was not worth getting sick. ?

reply by: Livingwell on February 04, 2014 at 7:43 am
I tried making galaktoboureko once about 35 years ago. It's a custard, so how hard could it be, right? Oh my gosh, what a mess! Now I leave it to the professionals and just order it in a Greek restaurant if I'm lucky enough to find it on the menu. Or lucky enough to be in an area that even *has* a Greek restaurant.

reply by: robinwaban on February 05, 2014 at 2:05 pm
Livingwell. since you've gained so much experience over the years maybe you could try it again. I's love to find a Greek lady who makes it to show me how. Unfortunately no one I know who's Greek makes it! Do I dare make it myself? Nah, I can't imagine eating an inferior galactaboureko. It's just too delicious!

reply by: Livingwell on February 05, 2014 at 2:33 pm
Robin, I would like to try again and just say bad galaktoboureko is better than no galaktoboureko, but that's not true and you have to do justice to this fabulous dessert. Unfortunately, our Greek neighbors moved some years ago, but she would never share any of her recipes with me or show me how to make them, despite repeated requests. In addition to galaktoboureko, she made the most wonderful custard tart covered with fresh fruit. The one Greek dessert I don't like is baklava. It is waaay too sweet for me and the walnuts bother me. There is an international grocery store locally that sells pistachio baklava. It isn't nearly as sweet and the pistachios are much more subtle. I could eat that all day long!

reply by: cwcdesign on February 05, 2014 at 4:20 pm
Robin and Livingwell, your discussion about Galactoboureko reminded me of a discussion we had several years ago with Anna who was married to a Greek and spent much time living in Greece (I wonder where she is these days) and in the middle of the thread is her recipe.

http://community.kingarthurflour.com/content/greek-easter-dessert
[Uploader's Note: this thread and its recipe may not have been saved when KAF shut down the BC.]

reply by: Livingwell on February 05, 2014 at 5:31 pm
Cwc, thanks for the recipe! Is there some way to translate the ingredients to measuring cups and spoons?

reply by: robinwaban on February 05, 2014 at 6:14 pm
Thanks, CW. I may have to have a bakeoff with Livingwell!

reply by: frick on February 05, 2014 at 8:33 pm
There is something about that recipe that confuses me. It says put half the phyllo in the bottom of the baking dish, add the custard, then the rest of the phyllo. Either it assumes you butter each sheet of pastry before layering them all together, or you don't do it at all. Which do you think it is? I've never had any.

reply by: cwcdesign on February 05, 2014 at 9:25 pm
Livingwell, to convert the recipe, you would need to change the grams to ounces and then find a weight chart such as King Arthur's and engineer it backwards. But, I don't know how close you'd come to being accurate - for example, I decided to try to convert the sugar, 180g, which comes out to be 6.34 oz. A cup of sugar weighs 7 ounces - so do you use a cup of sugar or 7/8 of a cup?
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frick, perhaps finding other Galacteboureko recipes would tell you about the phyllo - my guess would be that it's buttered - how else would the sheets hold together?

reply by: bakeraunt on February 05, 2014 at 9:41 pm
As I started this thread with a question about a Greek cookie--and bought a recipe book--I will give that book's recipe for Galatoboureko (Custard Pie). I have not tried it, but I would be interested to hear if anyone does try it.
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Filling:
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4 Cups milk
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1/2 Cup sugar
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3/4 Cup farina or fine semolina
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1/4 Cup butter
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5 eggs, beaten
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1 tsp. vanilla
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2 tsp. orange rind (optional)
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1/2 pound filo pastry
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3/4 Cup melted butter.
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In a large saucepan, heat the milk and sugar. When warm, add farina slowly, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it thickens and is smooth. Be sure to stir constantly so that the farina will not form lumps.
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Blend 1/4 C butter into mixture with spoon. Remove from heat and blend in vanilla and orange rind. When mixture has cooled, blend in eggs.
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Butter a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Place half (about 6-10 sheets) of pastry leaves in pan, one at a time, making sure to brush each sheet with melted butter.
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Pour in custard mixture. Top with the remaining filo sheets, again brushing each with butter. Brush top filo with remaining butter.
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With sharp knife, cut the tip (3) layers of pastry leaves into 3-inch diamonds or squares. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until golden brown.

reply by: robinwaban on February 05, 2014 at 10:27 pm
Thank you (I think) for posting this. I will try making the recipe. It is just so yummy. I had to exercise 5 days this week to work off those cookies, and I hate to exercise!

reply by: Livingwell on February 05, 2014 at 10:36 pm
Thanks for the recipe with the ingredients by volume, bakeraunt!
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Robin, I'm not sure I'm brave enough to tackle this, but it will go into my 'recipes to try some day' file. Please post your results when you make it, and a photo, too. I've been exercising regularly, but it doesn't seem to be doing any good! I'll keep at it, though, and hope for the best. Of course, the cookies I made today don't help, but they are too good not to indulge. The problem is, all I have to do is eat two cookies, and the scale registers three extra pounds the next day!!! Now I know cookies don't weigh a pound and a half each, but you'd never know it from my goofy weight. I blame menopause, and himself says, "Oh sure, blame something else on men!" 😉

reply by: robinwaban on February 08, 2014 at 7:14 pm
I did it! I made galactaboureko! The custard was fairly easy and I followed the YouTube video of the youngish blonde Greek woman. It think it was called "Cook Greek" or "Bake Greek". Anyway, I got the custard made and greased my pan. I took the phyllo, ready-made and boxed, that said I needed to defrost in fridge for 5 hours!! So, I waited 4 more hours, unwrapped it and guess I should have waited the additional hour because it cracked at one of the folds. I used it anyway and it worked out ok, but it was a bit messy to butter and for some reason it didn't drape over the pan as expected. I made the honey liquid and poured it over the galactaboureko, which was still slightly warm. I took a pick and will post it on my page. Now I have to let it sit for 5 hours. Oh, the agony. I will cut it tonight at 10 PM. My DH and I will have to test it. If it' sock, I will bring some to my Greek friend's mom who is in a nursing home.

reply by: Livingwell on February 08, 2014 at 7:45 pm
Wow, Robin, I'm impressed! That's quite a project to tackle. I hope it's every bit as good as you remember. Your friend's mom will love having a 'taste of home'!

reply by: cwcdesign on February 08, 2014 at 7:51 pm
Robin, it looks beautiful. I hope it tastes as good as it looks.

reply by: robinwaban on February 08, 2014 at 10:05 pm
According to my husband, this was better than the galactaboureko we had in Greece. It was really, really good. If I can make it, anyone can. The tricky part is the phyllo dough, but even being messy it worked. Livingwell, make it. You can watch the video time and again, and write it down. It's wonderful recipe. I believe the one that Bakeraunt posted was almost the same, but hers did not include a syrup to be poured over the top. I am posting a pic of the piece I ate.

reply by: Livingwell on February 09, 2014 at 8:14 am
Robin, that looks absolutely delicious!!!

reply by: robinwaban on February 09, 2014 at 11:40 am
Thank you. Looking at my pic and comparing it to what I've had in the past, I think my pan was too large. I remember the custard being at least 2 inches high. Now that I know I can make it, I don't have to make it again for a long time. Too fattening!

• This topic was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by BakerAunt.