004Cheese pie

Method

Tapsiou (tray-baked cheese pie). Serve warm as a breakfast dish, meze, or light lunch with olives.

You will need

• 32 x 24 cm baking pan
• pastry brush
• mixing bowl
• sharp knife

1. Heat a conventional oven to 180°C (350°F) and combine the melted butter and olive oil in a small bowl. 5 min · 180°C / 350°F Ready when: Butter and oil are blended
2. In a mixing bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, then fold in the coarsely crumbled feta, milk, and plenty of black pepper; avoid adding salt as the feta provides sufficient seasoning. 5 min Ready when: Cheese custard is creamy with distinct cheese lumps
3. Grease a 32 x 24 cm baking dish with the butter mixture, then layer five sheets of filo into the dish, brushing each sheet generously with the butter and oil blend and letting pastry overhang the rim. 8 min Ready when: Base sheets are stacked and well greased
4. Pour the cheese filling into the pastry-lined dish and spread it into an even layer. 2 min Ready when: Filling is evenly distributed
5. Fold the overhanging edges of pastry neatly over the cheese layer, then top with the remaining five sheets of filo, brushing each layer with butter. 6 min Ready when: Top sheets are buttered and cover the filling entirely
6. Score the top sheets of filo into square portions using a very sharp knife, taking care not to pierce the bottom layer. 2 min Ready when: Surface is scored into portions
7. Bake in the conventional oven at 180°C (350°F) for 45 to 50 minutes until the filo is deeply golden, crisp, and puffed up across the centre. 45 min · 180°C / 350°F Ready when: Crust is golden and crisp all over
8. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before cutting completely through and serving warm. 15 min Ready when: Cheese custard sets slightly for clean slicing

Tap a step to tick it off.

Make ahead and storing

Can be assembled up to 12 hours ahead, covered, and refrigerated until ready to bake.

Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to 24 hours or refrigerate for 3 days; re-crisp in an oven, not a microwave.

Substitutions

• 300 g feta and 150 g anthotyros for feta. Creates a softer, lighter cheese custard with less sharp salinity.

Common mistakes

• Adding salt to the filling mixture. Greek feta is already heavily brined and extra salt makes the pie aggressively salty.
• Reheating in a microwave oven. The microwave steams the pastry, transforming the crisp filo into a leathery skin.

Regional variants

• Skopelos spiral cheese pie made with coiled hand-rolled dough and fried in olive oil.
• Tiropitakia, individual triangular pastries popular for parties and school lunches.

About the dish

Pies filled with curd and fresh cheese have been documented in the Hellenic world since antiquity, with Roman and Byzantine texts describing layered pastries called plakous. Over centuries under Ottoman rule, pastry-making techniques converged across the Balkans. The modern Greek tiropita, whether folded into small triangles (tiropitakia) or baked as a large sheet pie (tapsiou), remains the country's most ubiquitous breakfast pastry and bakery staple.

Found in all of Greece. Cooked for everyday, name day, sunday lunch.

Cousins elsewhere

• Banitsa (Bulgarian). A traditional rolled or layered pastry made with eggs, yoghurt, and sirene brined cheese.
• Peynirli börek (Turkish). A layered or coiled yufka pastry filled with white cheese and flat-leaf parsley.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

484 kcal · protein 15.8 g · fat 34.2 g (saturated 17.3 g) · carbohydrate 28.1 g (sugars 4.4 g) · fibre 1.1 g · sodium 876 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Following the classic Greek home-style baked tray pie tradition..

Products for this dish

Read more

• How Feta Is Made, and Where It Comes From
• A Guide to Greek Cheeses: Styles, Milk Types, and Uses
• The Greek Easter Table: Feasting, Ritual, and the End of Lent