Spinach and Feta pie (Spanakopita - Tiropita)

This is an all-time-classic recipe from my grandmother for the traditional pie. The pastry is similar to a puff pastry and the filling varies from spinach - feta cheese, feta cheese solo, leeks, pumpkin etc.. I recently learnt to make this pie on my own, but I still like preparing it with my grandmother.

Ingredients (for 2 medium or 1 large pie)

700 gr. all purpose flour (might need more)

1 glass warm water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 small coffe cup vegetable oil

1 tbsp vinegar

150 - 200 gr. melted butter

filling 

1 egg

boiled spinach

feta cheese

How to Make

Sift the flour in a large bowl or on a table and make a hole in the center. Add in the hole all pastry ingredients except butter and mix the liquid with the flour with your fingertips ar a fork, taking flour from the sides like shown in the pictures below:

Continue kneading to make a firm and pliable dough. You might need to add some more flour, but be careful so that the dough wont turn hard. The dough will be like shown in the following pictures:

Cut the dough into 2 or 4 pieces. On a floured surface, roll out each piece to a similar cyrcle or rectangle shape with a rolling pin. Use the rolling pin as shown below: Roll it on top of the dough until dough widens enough and the put the pin on one side of the dough and roll it again. Repeat from all sides:

 

Cover the surface with melted butter and cut it with a knife as in following pictures:

Take all small cuts and put them upside down, one on top of another in the center cyrcle. Then cover them with the sides of the center piece and put it in the refridgerator for 2-3 hours.

Preparing the filling:

Boil the spinach for few minutes and put them aside to drain. Mix the drained spinach with feta cheese and 1 bitten egg. For the solo feta filling, just mix feta cheese and egg.

Preparing the baking pan

Put this ball on a floured surface and roll out the dough again until widens enough to fit in the baking pan. Butter well the interior of the pan, put one piece, cover again with butter, place the filling, cover with the other piece of pastry, butter the top well and carve the surface. Place in a preheated oven at 180 -200 Celsius and cook for about 30 minutes:

When take it off the oven, cover the pie with a wet towel and let it stay for about another 30 minute. Enjoy!