Easy Mini Mushroom Pies Recipe (With Filo Pastry) (2024)

FAQs

Can I use filo pastry instead of puff pastry? ›

Yes and no, and it depends—mostly on the recipe you are using. Substitute one for the other and your baked goods may bake up different than expected.

Not necessarily, but butter is used traditionally and creates beautifully golden and crisp layers. If you don't want to use butter, you still need to brush the pastry with another form of fat to help your pastry cook properly.

The main differences between puff pastry and phyllo dough are their fat content and preparation. Puff pastry is a laminated dough that gets its signature airy puff from layers of butter, while phyllo dough is comparatively low-fat. Phyllo dough includes only flour, water, vinegar, and a little oil.

You can swap in puff pastry for phyllo dough in a pinch, and the other way around, but don't expect the same results. Here's the best way to use each of these flaky, versatile doughs. It's easy to love any recipe calling for phyllo or puff pastry.

Alternate the phyllo sheets to cover the entire pan, brushing each sheet of phyllo with butter as you go. This should take approximately 6 to 8 sheets of phyllo. Place the filling into the phyllo lined pan and fold the overhanging phyllo dough over the filling.

You can use the filo pastry from the fridge straight away, but you need to thaw the frozen filo pastry first. To do this, leave it out on the kitchen counter until it's at room temperature and pliable.

Filo pastry is basically an unleavened dough which can be used to wrap or top a filling. It has a satisfying bite, is made up of many. All layers should be brushed with butter before baking – a little trick that will make all the difference.

Brush a little melted butter around the base, then gather up the outsides and scrunch them together. Brush half the remaining butter over the top. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make another filo parcel. Transfer the parcels to the preheated baking tray and bake in the oven for about 25 mins until golden.

Filo can be quite hard to work with, as it can tear easily or become dry. When practising this technique it is necessary to cover the unused filo sheets with a damp cloth.

Puff pastry is laminated, which means butter is folded into the dough multiple times to create alternating layers of butter and dough. This results in lots of thin layers and an airy texture. Phyllo, meanwhile, is a paper-thin dough that's made with oil instead of butter.

Is phyllo dough healthier than pie crust? ›

Even better, switch your pastry from shortcrust or puff to filo. This is the lowest-fat pastry by far, with 2.9g fat per 100g. This compares with 26.2g for puff or 31.4g for shortcrust. Filo is the lowest-calorie option too, and it's easy to use.

The crescent-shaped croissant is a flaky pastry with buttery layers whereas a puff pastry is a drier composition of dough. Both use similar ingredients and preparation work.

A very common mistake is to leave it defrost at room temperature as this will make the outer layers gummy; when working with phyllo dough, it should be defrosted, but still cold.

But, unlike puff pastry or phyllo dough, pie dough doesn't have layers. That doesn't mean it's not great! It is! It's buttery, tender, and ever-so-slightly flaky — it just doesn't puff up like puff pastry or have many ultra-thin, flaky layers like phyllo dough.

Shortcrust pastry: This is a type of pastry made from flour, butter, and water that is usually used for sweet desserts but can also be used as a substitute for puff pastry in savory dishes like pot pies. Biscuit dough: You can use biscuit dough as a topping for pot pies to ad.

You can use filo pastry to make these spring rolls, if you can't get spring roll wrappers. While not exactly the same thing, they're close enough that it's totally worth making your own. Because when you make your own anything, it's always better than a store bought something.

You can substitute, but there is definitely a noticeable difference and I think you'll appreciate why a good traditional recipe calls for a specific type. Saveur has a nice reference chart. Also, keep in mind that although phyllo is very thin and tends to tear, in many cases a small amount of tearing is no problem.