Food and Travel & Food and Travel
A thin golden Greek feta batter pie with crisp irregular edges and one cut wedge revealing its tender centre
side Greek vegetarian

Crispy feta bread (alevropita)

A paper-thin Epirus flour-and-egg batter baked in a scorching oiled pan under crumbled feta and butter until the edges shatter and the centre stays tender.

Prep10 min
Cook45 min
Rest10 min
Oven180°C
Servings6
Cook mode

Adapted for the home kitchen from traditional Epirus alevropita recipes documented by 30 Days of Greek Food and Mia Kouppa

Ingredients

Written for a 30 cm round tin

Units
Servings
6

Batter

  • 280 g all-purpose flour
  • 250 ml water
  • 4 count small eggs, or 3 large eggs
  • 1 g fine salt, optional; feta is already salty
  • 1 g freshly ground black pepper

Pan and topping

  • 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil, enough to coat the hot pan generously
  • 330 g feta cheese, crumbled into small uneven pieces
  • 50 g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.

Method

  1. Put a 30 cm metal baking tin on the middle rack and heat the oven to 180°C. Leave the tin in the fully heated oven for at least 10 minutes so it is scorching hot when the batter arrives.
  2. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Add the water gradually while whisking, then whisk in the eggs one at a time until the batter is completely smooth. Season with the pepper and, only if your feta is mild, the optional salt.
  3. Check the batter: it should pour easily but remain thicker than crêpe batter. A ribbon falling from the whisk should briefly sit on the surface before disappearing. Whisk in a spoonful of flour if it seems watery, or a splash of water if it is stiff.
  4. Carefully remove the hot tin. Pour in the olive oil and tilt the tin to coat the base and lower edge generously.
  5. Immediately pour in the batter, tilting if needed to form an even layer about 1 cm deep. Scatter the feta evenly over the surface, then dot with the butter cubes and finish with another grind of black pepper.
  6. Bake on the middle rack for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the tin after about 25 minutes, until the top is deeply golden, the edge is crisp, and the pie has begun to pull away from the tin.
  7. Rest in the tin for 10 minutes. Loosen the edge with a thin spatula, slide the pie onto a board, and cut it into wedges or small squares. Serve while the edge is still audibly crisp.

Notes

  • A shallow metal tin gives the strongest bottom crust. Ceramic and glass heat more slowly and produce a softer result.
  • Keep the layer close to 1 cm. A smaller tin makes a thick, bread-like centre instead of the characteristic thin, crisp pie.
  • Feta varies dramatically in saltiness, so taste it before adding any salt to the batter.
  • Some household versions use milk or yogurt. This entry deliberately keeps the simpler water-based version that matches the remembered feta, egg, flour, water, salt, and pepper formula.
  • Alevropita is best straight from the oven. Re-crisp leftovers in a dry skillet or a 190°C oven; a microwave will soften the crust.

Sources consulted

Sources consulted

From Christoph Mayer

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