Baklava is a famous Turkish sweet that is crunchy, sweet and salty. It contains numerous layers of thin buttered sheets and is also known as Filo or Phyllo pastry. The baklava is stuffed with a lot of chopped nuts in between and topped with honey syrup. It is available in some bakeries like Nik Baker’s and others.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Serves: 20-25
Cooking time: 30-40 minutes
Ingredients:
For the baklava:
- Chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashew nuts and pistachios)
- Phyllo dough (thin unleavened dough)
- 1 cup melted butter
- 1/3 cup sugar
- One teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1/3 teaspoon cloves powder
For the syrup:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup honey
- Two tablespoons lemon juice
- One cinnamon stick
- Grinded pistachios for garnishing
Recipe:
1. Lightly grease a pan with butter and set the oven to 350°F.
2. Freeze the phyllo dough for a while until it becomes hard and cold.
3. Knead the dough nicely and cut the phyllo dough in half so that the sheets can easily fit in the pan.
4. Cover it with a damp cloth to keep it away from drying out.
5. Grind the nuts in a processing bowl until they are in small pieces.
6. Combine the nuts in sugar and cinnamon, and cloves powder
7. Melt a bowl of butter in the microwave.
8. Keep a sheet of the dough in the pan.
9. Using a pastry brush, apply the melted butter all over the sheet.
10. Keep repeating it 7-8 times until it becomes 8-9 sheets thick.
11. Paint every single sheet nicely with melted butter.
12. Pour one spoon of the nut mixture into the dough layer.
13. Cover it with two more sheets of dough and brush both of them with butter.
14. Add the nut mixture into the buttered sheets of dough.
15. Repeat the 12th and 13th steps until the whole nut mixture is used up.
16. The first layer of baklava should be 7-8 sheets thick, and each sheet should be individually buttered. Don’t panic. If the sheets crinkle up, it will just add more texture.
17. Cut the sheets into small squares using a sharp knife.
18. Bake the baklava at 350°F for 30-35 minutes; until the pieces turn lightly golden brown and edges appear crispy.
19. Let it bake. Till then, make the syrup.
20. Place the cinnamon stick, sugar, lemon juice, water and honey in a saucepan.
21. Let it come to a full boil, then reduce to medium flame.
22. Let the syrup simmer for 7 minutes until it slightly thickens.
23. Remove the cinnamon stick with a spoon or fork and let it cool.
24. Pour the syrup over the hot baklava and place it in the fridge; let it cool for at least 4 hours.
25. Garnish some crushed pistachios over the baklava for a beautiful presentation and serve it in a glass bowl.
