Recipe: Baklava
This is an original recipe I created for Baklava.
MY INTERPRETATION: For 24 people
Equipment
| Sink | Stove Top | Oven |
| Pot, cooking (butter) | Pot, Cooking (simple syrup) | Two 8×8 oven pans (clear) |
| Food processor (chopping) | Mixing bowl (nuts post-chopping) | Butter brush |
| Measuring spoons | Measuring cup (wet) | Knife to cut the pastry/baklava |
Spoons (butter stirrer, syrup stirrer, removing food from processor & spreading the nuts, getting honey out of container)
Ingredients
| Package of Phyllo dough (1 pound) | 1 cup honey |
| Walnuts (1 pound) | 1 cup water |
| Sticks of butter (3 sticks) | 1 cup sugar |
| 1 and ½ Tablespoon ground cinnamon | 2 strips of lemon peel |
| ¼ teaspoon ground cloves | 1 cinnamon stick (or 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon) |
| ¼ teaspoon salt (1/2 Tablespoon if using unsalted butter) |
Process
BAKLAVA PREPARATION
- Two hours before (at lease, look at box) take the phyllo dough out to defrost.
- Start melting butter on stove.
- Chop walnuts in food processor and put into bowl.
- Add spices: ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and salt. Mix until everything is together.
- Start heating over to 350 degrees.
- Take the phyllo dough – cut in half (I discovered my 8×8 work perfectly for this)
- Brush butter in pans on bottom and sides. Do both pans at once for the next steps.
- Lay down 5 to 8 phyllo layers – brushing butter between each layer. The first new layer is always the hardest.
- Add a thin layer of the walnut mixture.
- Lay down 4 to 5 phyllo layers.
- Repeat walnut mixture & phyllo layers until walnut mixture is used up (at least five rounds).
- Lay down the last layer of phyllo dough – 5 to 8 layers.
- Cut the Baklava in long strips (4 rows) then diagonally to get the signature look. (Yes, cut it BEFORE it goes in the oven)
- Put both Baklava pans in the oven and cook for 50 minutes.
SIMPLE SYRUP PREPARATION
- After the Baklava has been put in the oven, start the simple syrup.
- Put the honey, water, sugar, cinnamon stick, and lemon peel slices into the small pot.
- Bring to a slow boil over medium to medium high heat, then lower to simmer until the Baklava comes out of the oven.
- Immediately pour the simple syrup over the Baklava while both the syrup and Baklava are hot.
- Store uncovered for 8 hours (allowing all the extra moisture to escape, leaving the lovely edges).