Pastries and Dieting

Pastries and Dieting

Who says we have to give up everything while on a diet? There are ways to still eat those things we like, such as pastries. All you have to do is change a few things in the ingredients and viola, "You can have your sweets and eat them too"

Being on a diet doesn't mean you have to kiss pastries goodbye. Instead of cooking with heavy pie crusts and homemade doughs, substitute phyllo dough in your homemade recipes. This light, thin Greek dough is traditionally used in baklava, and it has 79 calories per ounce and less than a gram of fat. Compared with piecrust at 110 calories and 7 grams of fat, phyllo dough is a bargain! Brush it with olive oil or a scant amount of margarine before you bake it for a healthy, flaky dessert.

Phyllo dries out easily because it is so thin. The secret to success with phyllo is keeping the dough moist. Start by thawing the phyllo while it is still wrapped. If you're only using half of the package, roll up the remaining sheets, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and return them to the freezer. As you prepare a recipe, keep the dough moist by covering it with plastic wrap. Triangles are a typical way to shape phyllo. To make triangles, cut the dough into strips, place the filling at one end, and fold.

Here is a basic Phyllo dough recipe.

In Greek: φύλλο, pronounced FEE-lo

Freshly made phyllo dough is always preferable, and it isn't difficult. If you have a pasta machine, using this phyllo will produce sheets of thin to thick dough to use for pitas and pastries. The alternative, rolling it out with a rolling pin, takes time and experience to master. This dough is ideal for small fried pitas (pies) and bourekakia (also small fried pies).

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of raki (or white vinegar)
• 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 1/4 - 1 1/3 cups of hot water
• flour for work surface and hands

PREPARATION:

Note: The key to the recipe is hot water. Use hottest tap water.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix by hand until it holds together. On a floured surface, knead by hand for 10-15 minutes until soft and malleable, with a smooth feel.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight before using.

Unused phyllo can be kept in the refrigerator, in air-tight wrapping, for up to 10 days after making.

Yield: approximately 2 1/4 pounds

With a pasta machine: To make phyllo sheets for pastries, run it through the pasta machine (with settings from 1-10, with 1 being the thickest), gradually working it down to setting mark 9 on your machine. For phyllo sheets to make small fried pitas, use setting number 6.

You can also freeze the phyllo sheets to be used at another date. Here is how you are to defrost and then use them.

The Five Rules of Phyllo

1. Never handle phyllo with wet hands.
2. Bake phyllo pies and pastries at approximately 350F (175C) on the rack just below the middle of the oven.
3. Defrost properly following package and/or recipe directions.
4. While working, keep unused phyllo covered to prevent drying.
5. Don't throw out damaged, torn, or unused phyllo!

Now, the details:

• When making a recipe that calls for 1 package (1 pound) of phyllo, always buy two just in case.
• If using frozen phyllo, thaw completely in the refrigerator for 24 hours and bring to room temperature before using or the dough can be gummy (if thawed too quickly outside the refrigerator) or crack (if still partially frozen).
• Prepare all other recipe ingredients before opening the phyllo package, and have waxed paper and a cool damp towel ready to cover it.
• Always work on a flat dry surface, and make sure your hands are dry. Getting the phyllo wet (with water) will make it gummy and sticky, and impossible to manage.
• Gently open and unfold phyllo. If any pieces stick together and cannot be gently separated, the usable part can be cut away, if large enough.
• Small breaks or cracks in phyllo sheets are normal.
• If a recipe calls for a certain size of cut dough, use a ruler.
• Phyllo sheets can be cut with a scissors, shears, pizza wheel, or pastry cutter.
• When brushing with butter or oil, or spraying with a butter-flavored cooking spray, start at the edges and work in. The edges dry out the fastest. And don't use too much - just a light coating, otherwise the end result is greasy.
• If you have several pastry brushes, use a soft wider one (2 1/2 - 3 inches) for sheets, and a smaller one for small triangles or rolls. Otherwise, a soft 1 1/2 to 2 inch wide brush works well on both sheets and small pastries or pies.
• If the recipe for a pastry needs a perfect top layer and the dough has not cooperated totally so far, just select a perfect sheet, brush it carefully with butter or oil (per recipe specifications), and use it as the outer layer or wrapping.
• Phyllo pastries should always be cooked in pans with a flat bottom.
• Never try to reheat phyllo pastries or pies in the microwave. If they've been refrigerated, either serve cold (if appropriate) or let them come to room temperature.
• If phyllo sheets get torn or don't defrost properly so they stick together at the edges, salvage what you can.
  

Then all you need to do is add your favorite low fat ingredients. I will cover some of those ingredients and recipes in my next posting of pastries and dieting. If you have some ideas on recipes to use with this, leave me a comment and I will share it.