Nutella Bougatsa (Greek Custard-Filled Phyllo Pastry)
Creamy chocolate hazelnut custard made of milk and semolina between crispy layers of buttery phyllo – this easy Nutella Bougatsa will become your new favorite Greek breakfast!
Bougatsa is hands down one of my favorite Greek pastries. It’s the most delicious fresh out of the oven, especially for breakfast with a cup of coffee. A creamy vanilla flavored custard is filled between crispy layers of buttery phyllo.
Traditionally, bougatsa is made with a vanilla flavored custard and topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon. This Nutella Bougatsa is a chocolate-spin on the classic. The custard is creamy and full of chocolate and hazelnut flavors, with the perfect balance of sweetness.
What is “Bougatsa”?
Bougasta (Μπουγάτσα) is a traditional Greek pie consisting of a layered phyllo with a sweet cream or cheese filling. The origins of bougatsa date back to the Byzantine period in Constantinople when it was Greek. It began as a dough filled with sweet and savory fillings and overtime evolved into the bougatsa that we see all over Greece today.
Bougatsa became popular in Greece in the 1920s with the arrival of Greek refugees from Asia Minor. Bougatsa is now enjoyed all throughout Greece, but it is particularly famous in northern Greece, specifically in the city of Thessaloniki, where many of the refugees settled.
The traditional recipe can be sweet, filled with a semolina custard topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon, or savory, filled with cheese or minced meat.
Today, you will find bougatsa nearly on every corner in Greece. It is typically enjoyed as a breakfast, but can also be a snack or dessert. In Thessaloniki, there are many “bougatsopolia”, which sell bougatsa exclusively.
Nutella Bougatsa Recipe Ingredients
Let’s go over the ingredients needed to make this chocolate bougatsa recipe. Using high-quality ingredients is key to producing the best bougatsa!
- Phyllo: Use your favorite brand of phyllo dough. I love this organic phyllo from Fillo Factory.
- Butter: I always bake with salted butter. It doesn’t contain any natural flavorings that unsalted butter has. Just two ingredients; cream and butter. You can use unsalted butter if you prefer.
- Milk. Whole milk works best, but 2% or 1% will produce an equally delicious cream. I have not made this bougatsa cream with any plant based milk substitutes, so if you give it a try, let me know how it works out!
- Granulated sugar: Use your favorite granulated or organic cane sugar! This is the one that I use in all of my baking.
- Semolina: Make sure that you use a fine semolina flour, like this one from Bob’s Red Mill.
- Eggs: Make sure that your eggs are room temperature for the best results.
- Vanilla extract: Always use pure vanilla extract (not imitation) for the best tasting baked treats!
- Nutella: Use your favorite chocolate hazelnut spread.
How to Make Nutella Bougatsa
This recipe for Chocolate Bougatsa is sooo easy to make! Let’s go through the steps to make sure you end up with the perfect pastry.
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- Make the custard. Begin by preparing the filling. Add the sugar, semolina, egg, and egg yolk to a large bowl and whisk until the ingredients combine. Meanwhile, add the milk to a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat it just before boiling over medium heat. Remove the milk from the heat and pour 1 cup of milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs. Add the tempered egg mixture to the saucepan with the remaining warm milk. Return the saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk constantly, until the mixture thickens and the mixture is smooth and creamy. This should take about 3-5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the butter, vanilla, and Nutella until smooth.
- Assemble bougatsa. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal. Take one sheet of phyllo and gently place it into the bottom of the pan, allow it to overhang on the edges of the pan. Use a pastry brush to sprinkle melted butter over the whole layer. Repeat the process with 4 more layers of phyllo (5 in total). Evenly spoon the prepared custard filling over the phyllo layers and top with a layer of phyllo. Brush that layer with butter and repeat with 4 more sheets. Tuck the overhanging phyllo into the pan and sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar on top for extra crunch.
- Bake. Bake the Nutella bougatsa for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crispy.
- Cool. Remove the chocolate bougatsa from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes on a wire rack before removing from the pan.
- Top with powdered sugar and serve. Use the parchment paper to lift the chocolate bougatsa from the pan and generously dust with powdered sugar. Cut into squares and serve warm.
More Recipes You’ll Love!
- Persian Love Cake
- Spanakopita (Greek spinach pie)
- Orange Blossom Semolina Cake
- Melomakarona – Greek honey spice cookies
- Greek Olive Oil and Cinnamon Cookies
If you make this recipe, take a photo and tag #bakedambrosia on Instagram and Facebook so that I can see your creations and feature them on Instagram! To stay up to date with the latest recipes, follow Baked Ambrosia on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. ♡
Nutella Bougatsa (Greek Custard-Filled Phyllo Pastry)
Ingredients
- 10 phyllo sheets
- 1/2 cup butter melted
Filling
- 2 cups 500 ml whole milk
- 1/3 cup 72 g granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup 55 g fine semolina
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp 28 g butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup 296 g Nutella
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
- Make the custard. Begin by preparing the filling. Add the milk to a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat it just before boiling over medium heat. While the milk is heating, add the sugar, semolina, egg, and egg yolk to a large bowl and whisk until the ingredients combine. Once the milk has heated, remove from heat and pour 1 cup of hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs. Add the tempered egg mixture to the saucepan with the remaining warm milk, whisking constantly. Return the saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk until the mixture thickens and becomes smooth and creamy. This should take about 3-5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the butter, vanilla, and Nutella until smooth.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper hanging over the edges.
- Take one sheet of phyllo and gently place it into the bottom of the pan, allow it to hang over the edges of the pan. Use a pastry brush to sprinkle melted butter over the whole layer. Repeat the process with 4 more layers of phyllo (5 in total).
- Evenly spoon the prepared custard filling over the phyllo layers and top with a layer of phyllo. Brush that layer with butter and repeat with 4 more sheets. Tuck the overhanging phyllo into the pan and sprinkle the brown sugar over the top layer.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crispy.
- Remove the bougatsa from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes on a wire rack before removing from the pan.
- Use the parchment paper to lift the bougatsa from the pan and generously dust with powdered sugar. Cut into squares and serve warm.
Hello Angelina!
I was wondering if it’s be okay to make this in a 10×10 inch square pan? Would anything in the recipe have to be adjusted?
And also, is it possible to use more than 592 grams of Nutella, will it change anything? (maybe 100-200 grams more)
Thank you! 🙂
Hi! To use a 10×10 inch pan, I recommend increasing the recipe by 1.5. You can also double the recipe for a thicker filling layer. You can add more Nutella, I just wouldn’t go over 200 g so that the filling can set properly. I hope this was helpful!!
Hello again Angelina! Thank you for your response. I also notice that in the recipe section it says 1/2 of butter (melted), which is 125ml, but when it calls for 1/2 cup Nutella it says 592 grams, is this correct or is it a typo perhaps? (Otherwise how much butter in grams/mls should the 1/2 cup be?)
And also, when it says to add the butter to the filling- is it the 1/2 cup of butter that I add or the 2 tablespoons (28 grams)?
I hope this made sense 🙂
Thank you!!!
Hi! Thank you for pointing out the error in the Nutella measurement! I updated the recipe to the correct amount and to be a bit more clear. For the filling, add the 2 tbsp of room temperature butter. The melted butter is for layering the phyllo.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Looks delicious.
Thank you!!