Filloas
A Galician cousin of the French crêpe, made above all at Carnival (Entroido). Filloas are thinner than ordinary pancakes, with lacy, crisp edges — the batter is thinner, because water replaces part of the milk. Traditionally the pan is greased with a piece of pork fat speared on a fork. Sweet ones are rolled around pastry cream flavoured with lemon and cinnamon, or sprinkled with sugar and drizzled with honey. The key is an hour's rest for the batter — without it filloas tear more easily.
Your own work in that: 5 min.
- Batter 10 min
- Resting the batter 60 min
- Pastry cream 20 min
- Frying 35 min
- Rolling 5 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneBlend a thin batter
Blend the flour, eggs, milk, water, sugar, salt and grated lemon zest into a smooth, thin batter — thinner than for pancakes, like single cream. Push any lumps through a sieve.
Ingredients: 250 g plain flour · 4 pcs eggs · 500 ml milk · 250 ml water · 1 tbsp sugar · 1 pinch salt · ½ pcs lemon, grated zest · 30 g butter or pork fat for greasing
Thinner than pancake batter — like single cream.Rest the batter an hour
Cover and refrigerate the batter for an hour. The flour swells, the gluten relaxes and the bubbles from blending disappear. Unrested batter tears when you turn such thin crepes.
Ingredients: 250 g plain flour · 4 pcs eggs · 500 ml milk · 250 ml water · 1 tbsp sugar · 1 pinch salt · ½ pcs lemon, grated zest · 30 g butter or pork fat for greasing
Heat the milk for the cream
While the batter rests, bring 400 ml milk to the boil with the strip of lemon peel and the cinnamon stick, take off the heat and leave 10 minutes to infuse. Remove the peel and cinnamon.
Ingredients: 500 ml milk · 4 pcs egg yolks · 100 g sugar · 40 g cornflour · ½ pcs lemon, strip of peel · 1 pcs cinnamon stick
Cook a thick pastry cream
Mix the yolks with the sugar, cornflour and the remaining cold milk (100 ml). Pour in the hot milk in a thin stream, stirring, return everything to the pan and cook, stirring, until the cream thickens and starts to bubble, then one minute more — about 5 minutes in all. Transfer to a bowl, press film onto the surface and cool.
Ingredients: 500 ml milk · 4 pcs egg yolks · 100 g sugar · 40 g cornflour · ½ pcs lemon, strip of peel · 1 pcs cinnamon stick
Heat a small pan
Heat a 20–22 cm frying pan over medium heat and wipe it with butter, or with a piece of pork fat speared on a fork — the Galician way. You want only a thin film of fat.
Ingredients: 250 g plain flour · 4 pcs eggs · 500 ml milk · 250 ml water · 1 tbsp sugar · 1 pinch salt · ½ pcs lemon, grated zest · 30 g butter or pork fat for greasing
Fry thin filloas
Stir the batter, pour in about 50 ml (a scant ladleful) and swirl the pan at once so it spreads thinly. Fry about a minute, until the edges turn golden and lift, flip and fry 20–30 seconds. Wipe the pan with fat before each one. You will get about 24 filloas — frying all the batter takes about 35 minutes in total.
Ingredients: 250 g plain flour · 4 pcs eggs · 500 ml milk · 250 ml water · 1 tbsp sugar · 1 pinch salt · ½ pcs lemon, grated zest · 30 g butter or pork fat for greasing
Lacy edges — the pan only wiped with fat.Spread with cream and roll
Spread each filloa with a thin layer of cold pastry cream and roll it up or fold into a triangle.
Ingredients: 500 ml milk · 4 pcs egg yolks · 100 g sugar · 40 g cornflour · ½ pcs lemon, strip of peel · 1 pcs cinnamon stick
Thinly — a filloa is delicate and tears easily.Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
Arrange the filloas on a plate and sprinkle with sugar mixed with cinnamon. Serve at once or chilled — in Galicia they are eaten both ways.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp sugar · ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Before you start
With honey, no cream
The simplest version: hot filloas sprinkled with sugar and drizzled with honey or a splash of orujo, Galician pomace brandy. The version with cream is the more festive one.
Savoury versions
Galicia also has savoury filloas, made with broth instead of milk, and at pig-slaughter time with blood added (filloas de sangre). The sweet milk version is the most popular today.
To keep
Fried, unfilled filloas layered with baking paper keep 2 days in the fridge or a month in the freezer. Keep the cream in the fridge no more than 2 days and fill just before serving.
