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Greek Honey Pie Recipe

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★★★★★

4.6 from 110 reviews

Greek Honey Pie is a traditional and authentic dessert featuring layers of buttery phyllo dough filled with a rich semolina custard, delicately flavored with lemon and vanilla, and topped with a fragrant honey-cinnamon syrup. This indulgent dessert delivers a perfect balance of crispy texture and creamy filling, finished with a touch of ground cinnamon and nuts for garnish, making it an unforgettable treat that showcases classic Greek flavors.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Honey Syrup

  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup water
  • ½ cup honey (Greek thyme honey preferred)
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 strip of lemon peel (about 2 inches long)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

For the Custard Filling

  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup fine semolina flour
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Zest of 1 lemon

For the Phyllo Layers and Topping

  • 1 pound phyllo dough, thawed overnight in the refrigerator
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
  • Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling
  • Chopped walnuts or pistachios, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Prepare the honey syrup: In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, water, honey, cinnamon stick, and lemon peel. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer 8-10 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, and discard cinnamon stick and lemon peel. Cool to room temperature.
  2. Heat the milk: In another saucepan, combine milk and sugar. Heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and milk is steaming but not boiling.
  3. Combine semolina and eggs: In a bowl, whisk semolina flour, eggs, and egg yolks until smooth.
  4. Temper the eggs: Slowly whisk about ½ cup hot milk into the egg mixture to temper, then gradually add remaining hot milk, whisking continuously until warmed.
  5. Cook custard: Pour tempered egg mixture back into saucepan with milk. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, 8-12 minutes until custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
  6. Finish custard: Remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla extract, and lemon zest until fully combined. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap pressed onto surface. Let cool slightly.
  7. Preheat oven and prepare dish: Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with butter.
  8. Prepare phyllo layers (bottom): Unwrap phyllo on a clean surface, keeping covered with damp towel. Brush one sheet with melted butter and place in baking dish. Repeat layering and buttering with 8-10 sheets.
  9. Add custard filling: Pour cooled custard evenly over phyllo base.
  10. Prepare phyllo layers (top): Layer remaining 8-10 phyllo sheets over custard, brushing each with melted butter.
  11. Score and butter top: Using a sharp knife, score top layer into diamond or square shapes. Brush top generously with melted butter.
  12. Bake: Bake for 45-55 minutes until phyllo is golden and crispy and custard is set.
  13. Cool and syrup: Let pie cool 10-15 minutes. While warm, slowly pour the cooled honey syrup evenly over pie surface. Let cool completely before serving.

Notes

  • Use Greek thyme honey for the most authentic flavor, but any good quality honey will work well.
  • Keep the phyllo dough covered with a damp towel to prevent drying out and cracking.
  • Tempering the eggs with hot milk is crucial to avoid curdling in the custard.
  • Scoring the top phyllo before baking allows for easier slicing and serving after baking.
  • Let the pie cool completely before cutting to achieve clean slices.
  • For garnish, sprinkle ground cinnamon and chopped walnuts or pistachios over the cooled pie.

Keywords: Greek honey pie, galaktoboureko, phyllo dessert, semolina custard pie, Greek pastry, honey syrup dessert

Find it online: https://zarameals.com/greek-honey-pie-recipe/