When working with phyllo, each layer must be brushed with melted butter or oil to assure flakiness in all the layers. Because the layers dry out quickly, speed is essential; this can make commercial applications difficult. To this end, Athens Foods (Cleveland, Ohio), offers Ready-To-Go Fillo Dough, a series of pre-layered sheets of fillo dough that can be used to wrap, hold or carry meat, vegetables, cheese and dessert fillings.
“This innovative product was designed with custom engineered equipment to eliminate the need to brush each sheet of fillo. We are the only fillo manufacturer in the world with this technology,” states Janice Guarnera, R&D manager. The company uses a vegetable shortening blend to keep the flavor neutral and to allow the product to work in both savory and sweet applications. “The end user can use flavored oils and herbs as desired,” she suggests.