Nine ingredients and fifty minutes, and one of the nine is a sheet of pastry from the freezer.
There is no custard in this and no sauce. The filling is spinach, feta, scallion and garlic, and it goes in as it is.
Why This Recipe Works
- Squeezing the spinach very dry is what lets the pastry layers separate.
- Keeping egg out of the filling means nothing sets it into a custard.
- Sealing the long seam and both ends firmly stops the filling escaping as it heats.
- Baking seam-side down uses the parcel's own weight to hold it closed.
- 400 degrees for around half an hour browns the glaze while the layers rise.
Ingredient Notes
- Frozen chopped spinach
- Ten ounces, thawed and squeezed very dry. Frozen is used precisely because thawing and squeezing is a reliable way to get the water out.
- Store-bought puff pastry
- One sheet, thawed. Store-bought is the right choice here rather than a compromise.
- Feta
- Six ounces crumbled. It stays in visible white crumbles through the spinach rather than melting smooth.
- One beaten egg
- For the wash only. Step 2 keeps egg out of the filling, so nothing inside sets into a custard.
How to Make It
Oven on, pan lined
Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a sheet pan.
Filling mixed — and no egg in it
Mix spinach, feta, scallion, garlic, and black pepper. Do not add egg to the filling.
Fill, fold, seal firmly
Roll the puff pastry lightly into a rectangle. Spoon filling down the center, fold the pastry over it, and seal the long seam and ends firmly.
Seam down, egg wash, sesame and thyme
Place seam-side down. Brush with beaten egg and scatter with sesame seeds and thyme.
Twenty-eight to thirty-two minutes
Bake 28 to 32 minutes until the pastry is deeply golden with distinct flaky layers.
Rest ten minutes, then slice
Rest 10 minutes before slicing. Do not add honey, chilli, filo, sauce, or egg custard.
Building One Parcel
Puff pastry rises because water in its butter layers turns to steam. Anything that adds water from the inside works against that - which is why the first component below is described by how DRY it is rather than by what it is.
The filling - squeezed VERY dry
10 oz of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and SQUEEZED VERY DRY, with 6 oz of crumbled feta, 2 finely sliced scallions, 1 minced garlic clove and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Frozen spinach is specified because thawing and wringing it is a reliable way to remove water; fresh would need wilting and draining to reach the same place. And step 2 adds a refusal: DO NOT ADD EGG to the filling. Egg would set it into a custard, which is exactly what you do not want.
The pastry - store-bought, rolled LIGHTLY
1 sheet of thawed store-bought puff pastry, rolled only lightly into a rectangle. Lightly is the instruction: pressing hard compresses the laminated butter layers that the whole rise depends on. Store-bought is the right choice here rather than a shortcut.
The fold, and the seal
Filling spooned DOWN THE CENTRE, the pastry folded over it, and the long seam AND both ends sealed FIRMLY. Three closures, not one - a parcel that opens at an end empties itself onto the tray as the filling heats and loosens.
Seam-side DOWN
Placed with the seam underneath, so the parcel's own weight holds it shut for the half hour it takes to set. This costs nothing and is the difference between a sealed parcel and a burst one.
The glaze and the two toppings
1 beaten egg brushed over, then 1 tbsp of sesame seeds and 1 tsp of fresh thyme. The egg is a WASH - the only egg in the recipe, on the outside, fully baked. The sesame and thyme are visible on top, and neither appears in the title.
Baked 28 to 32 minutes at 400F until DEEPLY GOLDEN WITH DISTINCT FLAKY LAYERS, then RESTED 10 MINUTES before slicing - cut straight from the oven, the layers compress under the knife. Step 6 closes it: no honey, no chilli, no filo, no sauce, no egg custard.
Success Tips
- Squeeze the spinach harder than seems necessary — that water is the enemy of puff pastry.
- Seal the seam and both ends properly or the filling finds its way out.
- Rest for the ten minutes; cut hot, the layers compress.
Serving Ideas
Six slices on white plates, the deep golden pastry showing its flaky layers, glazed and scattered with sesame seeds and thyme, with dark green spinach and white feta crumbles inside.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there egg in the filling?
No. Step 2 rules it out. The egg in this recipe is a wash brushed on the outside, and it bakes fully on the pastry.
Could I use filo instead?
No — step 6 leaves out filo. The distinct flaky layers are puff pastry, and store-bought puff pastry is what the recipe uses.
Should it be finished with honey?
Not here. Step 6 leaves out honey, chilli and sauce.
