Dough, Phyllo

By fireandfrost

From Glen's old cookbook

Any excess dough can be restretched. With practice in stretching the dough, you may be able to make a 6 foot square out of just 1 pound of it.

Ingredients

• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups tepid water
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• cornstarch

Preparation

Step 1

Sift the flour and salt into a deep bowl. Beating constantly with a large spoon, gradually add the water. Continue to beat until the flour and water are well blended. Then knead the dough in the bowl for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it can be gathered into a soft, somewhat sticky ball.
In the bowl, or on a board lightly sprinkled with flour, add the olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, kneading the dough well after each addition. Continue kneading for about 25 minutes longer, or until the dough is smooth and satiny. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for at least two hours.
Cover a large table completely with a cloth that has been sprinkled lightly with cornstarch. Place the dough in the center of the table, dust it with cornstarch and flatten it as thin as possible with a rolling pin or with your palms. Then stretch the dough across the backs of your hands by lifting an edge and pulling your hands apart. Work from each side of the table in turn to stretch the dough evenly until is is paper thin and measures at least 6 feet square, cut of the thick edges all around.
Let the dough dry for about 30 minutes. Then using a pastery wheel or small knife and ruler, cut a 12 inch strip from along one side of the stretched dough. Divide the strips into 16 inch sheets, stacking them on a baking sheet and dusting each one with cornstarch as you proceed. Repeat the process until all the dough is cut into sheets and stacked. The sheets can be used immediately, or the stack can be wrapped tightly in foil or plastic wrap and kept refrigerated for up to two weeks.