The Flaky Dough You Should Be Using For Baked Brie

If you've been to a party, given a party, or attended a wine-in-plastic-cup style gathering, chances are that you're familiar with baked brie. You'll find it near the cheese tray, wrapped in puff pastry and, more often than not, topped with jam. Or, if you're feeling more adventurous, you tried this hazelnut fig baked brie. There's a reason it's popular. Melding melted cheese with flaky puff pastry (store bought is fine, according to Ina Garten), baked brie is doubly buttery and perfect with fruit, cured meat, or even all on its own. That being said, it can sometimes feel a bit stale, so maybe it's time you give your baked brie an update. One easy way to go about this is to switch out your baked brie's wrapping. While puff pastry is the default shell for the melty dish, there are alternatives — one is phyllo dough.

Phyllo dough is common in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking. Like puff pastry, it often produces flaky, layered baked goods. Phyllo dough consists of thin dough sheets, which you can layer to create a perfectly crunchy, delicious result. However, it is less rich than puff pastry and produces a crunchier, lighter final product. Using phyllo dough as a wrapper for you baked brie can give the dish a lighter twist, producing more of a contrast between the buttery brie and the crisp dough. You can also make it an all-purpose fixer for your dinner party by wrapping your beef Wellington in phyllo.

There are some additional steps you will need to take when making your baked brie with phyllo rather than puff pastry. For one, you'll want to butter your phyllo layers. This will help prevent them from drying out during baking. Phyllo dough is also more delicate than puff pastry. Though both produced layered, flaky results, phyllo dough's layers consist of individual dough sheets stacked atop each other rather than on laminated dough. This can make the process of wrapping your brie with phyllo a bit different. You can fold your dough similar to an envelope, creating a square shape, rather than the more rounded shape used with puff pastry.

You might also consider playing into your use of phyllo dough by adding a Mediterranean twist to the dish. Adding topping such as candied pistachios to your baked brie and using honey rather than jam for a filling can give your baked brie a baklava-like twist. These flavors meld well with the already warm taste of brie, bringing additional sweetness and nuttiness that will have diners coming back for more. If you want a savory twist, you can also top your phyllo baked brie with sauteed spinach and feta to give it a doubly cheesy spanakopita twist. Then again, that jar of raspberry jam has never disappointed, and you can change up your baked brie as much or as little as you like — even the smallest change can make a huge difference.