Put the milk in a pot on the stove on medium heat, and warm it up for about 5 minutes until it’s warm (but not boiling).

In a pot over medium heat, melt half the butter (100 grams or 7 tablespoons). When it’s fully melted, add the semolina, and stir until the semolina has a golden color (approximately 3-4 minutes).

Slowly, over medium heat, add the warm milk to the semolina-butter mixture while whisking so that you have a smooth consistency.

After the milk has been incorporated, add the sugar and put the mixture on a low boil stirring all the time for about 7 minutes until it’s thick enough. You can tell it’s thick enough if you can put a spoon in the mixture, take it out and draw a line on it that stays separated.

Once the mixture is thick enough, turn the heat off and add the vanilla, and stir. Let the mixture cool off until it’s at room temperature. Cover with some cling film to prevent it from forming a hard layer on the top. Wait until the mixture is cool (about 15 minutes). If you want it to cool down faster, you can keep stirring and/or move it to another cold pot.

Beat 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks with a pinch of salt. Save the two egg whites you’re not using here for another recipe.

Slowly add the eggs to the cooled semolina mixture. You want to make sure the mixture is at room-temperature (and not hotter) or it will cook the eggs! So, patience is key here!

Melt the remaining half butter (100 grams or 7 tbsp).

Now, it's time to assemble the bougatsa. In a baking tray, add some melted butter and spread it with a pastry brush.

Add half the filo sheets one at a time, brushing each layer with butter.

With half your filo layers in the tray, add the semolina mixture and smooth it out. If the filo sheets are too big for the pan, you can trim them or, like us, turn them on top of the mixture.

Add the remaining half of the filo sheets, brushing each layer with butter. Before you put it in the oven, score the top sheets We scored ours into eights.

Bake in the preheated oven at 360°F or 180°C for about 35-40 minutes until golden.

Finish with a dusting of icing sugar and cinnamon, and you are ready to serve.