Crisp Flaky Baklava Food

BAKLAVA RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. I used a 16.5 x 11.38 x 1 inches baking sheet, but for some reason the phyllo pastry sheets are always too big. To rectify this problem, simply cut the sheets to the size of the baking sheet.
• In a food processor add the pecans and the cinnamon and pulse them a few times until finely chopped. Set about 1/4 of chopped pecans aside to use for sprinkling over the top of the baklava.
• In a medium sauce pan, add the sugar, water, butter, vanilla extract and honey. Stir well and bring to a boil. After it starts boiling reduce heat to medium low and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Let it cool.

EASY BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Place 1 cup sugar, water,& lemon juice in a pan& bring to boil.
• Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Cool.
• Lay out phyllo dough, cut in half& trim to fit a 9 by 13" pan.
• Place 1/2 of dough in pan.
• Combine filling ingredients, and spread over phyllo dough.
• Cover with 2nd half of dough.
• With a serrated knife, cut into triangles.
• Drizzle evenly with melted butter.
• Bake at 350 degrees for appproximately 30 minutes, till golden brown.
• Remove from oven& pour cooled syrup over hot baklava.

BAKLAVA RECIPE- HOW TO MAKE BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat stove-top, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Add the honey, orange extract if using, and whole cloves; stir to mix. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and let simmer for about 25 minutes. Remove syrup from heat and let cool to lukewarm. Add lemon juice. Remove the whole cloves.
• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, add the pistachios, walnut, and hazelnuts. Pulse a few times to chop. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add sugar, cinnamon, and ground cloves. Mix well to combine.
• Unroll the thawed phyllo pastry and place the sheets in between two clean kitchen towels. This will help keep the phyllo from breaking while you work.
• Prepare a 9"x 13"x 2" baking pan. Brush the interior of the baking pan with some of the melted butter. To assemble the baklava, take one sheet of phyllo and place it in the pan (for this size pan, I typically fold my phyllo sheet in half, and it fits perfectly. You can also do a bit of trimming using a pair of kitchen shears). Brush the top of the phyllo sheet with the melted butter.
• Repeat this process a few more times until you have used up about 1/3 of the phyllo pastry, each layer being brushed with the melted butter.
• Now, distribute about ½ of the nut mixture evenly over the top layer of phyllo.
• Continue assembling the baklava, one sheet of phyllo pastry at a time using another 1/3 of the phyllo. Again, brush each layer with a bit of the melted butter.
• Distribute the remaining ½ of the nut mixture evenly over the top layer of phyllo.
• Finish the remaining 1/3 of the phyllo pastry following the same process, laying one folded sheet at a time and brushing each layer with melted butter. Brush the very top sheet of phyllo with butter.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the pastry into 24 diamond shaped pieces (you can get up to 36 smaller pieces). (Review the tutorial above to see how I cut baklava).
• Place the baking dish on the middle rack of your heated oven. Bake anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes or until the top of the baklava turns golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. (IMPORTANT...Because ovens vary, be sure to check your baklava half-way through baking).
• As soon as you remove the baklava from the oven, pour the cooled syrup all over the hot baklava.
• Allow baklava to sit for a few hours before serving or for at least 1 hour. Cut through the earlier marked pieces. Serve with a garnish of chopped pistachios, if you like.

CITRUS BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preparation:.
• Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Unroll the first roll of phyllo pastry sheets. Lay two sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the pan. Lightly brush the top layer with melted butter. Add two more sheets and brush the top with butter. Continue adding sheets two at a time until you've laid down a total of 18. (You may want to keep the pastry covered with a damp paper towel prevent them from drying out.).
• Distribute with a spoon half the nut mixture evenly across the top layer of phyllo. Add four more sheets, two at a time as before on top of the nut mixture. Spoon the remainder of the nut mixture on top of that.
• Continue building the baklava with the remaining phyllo sheets, two at a time, brushing the top of each pair with melted butter. Drizzle any remaining butter over the top.
• With a sharp knife, make five lengthwise cuts, cutting through only the top layers. Do not cut through the nut mixture. Make a series of diagonal cuts to form diamonds, again cutting only through the top layers. Bake at 400*F. for 15 minutes, then at 300*F. for 40 minutes until golden.
• While the baklava is baking, make the syrup:.
• Combine the syrup ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Allow to boil gently for about 10 minutes, then reduce the heat, and let simmer until syrup begins to thicken. Set aside to cool. Remove the cinnamon stick.
• Pour the cooled syrup over the hot baklava. With a sharp knife, cut the baklava along the scoring marks, slicing through to the bottom. This dish is best if made the day before you serve it. Enjoy!

BREAKFAST BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F
• Generously spray 8 (2 3/4x1 1/4-inch) nonstick muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray.
• In 1-quart saucepan, mix syrup ingredients; heat to boiling.
• Remove from heat; cool 10 minutes.
• Discard whole cloves.
• Meanwhile, in food processor bowl with metal blade, place filling ingredients.
• Cover; process with on-and-off pulses until finely chopped: set aside.
• Separate dough into 8 biscuits.
• Separate each biscuit into 3 layers.
• Place 1 biscuit layer in bottom of 1 muffin cup.
• Brush dough with syrup; top with 1 1/2 teaspoons nut filling and drizzle with 1 1/2 teaspoons syrup.
• Place second biscuit layer on top; press edge of second biscuit into side of bottom biscuit.
• Brush with syrup; top with 1 1/2 teaspoons nut filling and drizzle with 1 1/2 teaspoons syrup.
• Top with third biscuit layer.
• Brush with syrup; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon nut filling.
• Repeat with remaining biscuits.
• Reserve remaining syrup (about 1/2 cup). *see note below
• Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until deep golden brown.
• Cool 1 minute.
• Remove from pan.
• Serve warm with remaining syrup.
• *To make ahead, prepare as directed through step 4; cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Bake as directed.
• Reheat reserved 1/2 cup syrup in microwave on High 30 to 60 seconds until hot.

GRETCHEN'S BAKLAVA

Steps:

• You should make baklava at least 24 hours ahead of time -- a week is best. The longer you let the Baklava sit, the better it gets.
• After you have everything gathered and the nut mixture done, you can assemble the baklava in about 45 minutes -- the time before you need to start working on the syrup for the batch in the oven. Use those darn corner and funky shaped edge pieces to test how it's doing or as your private reward!
• Remember that the frozen phyllo dough needs to thaw in the refrigerator for around 6 hours. If you thaw it at room temperature, the individual sheets of phyllo dough will stick together. Once you open the phyllo dough you will want to keep working. Half sheets work better. You can melt all of the butter and keep it in a crock pot on low so you don't have to melt butter as you go.
• Preheat the oven to 300°F
• Combine and set aside walnuts, 1/2 cup sugar, and cinnamon
• Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the bottom and sides of a Jelly Roll Pan (15.5" x 10.5" x 1") with melted butter.
• Open the phyllo dough and layer 6 whole leafs (or 12 half leafs) in the pan, buttering each layer as you go. (The edges will extend over the side.)
• Spread 1 cup of the walnut mixture.
• Cut the remaining phyllo dough in half.
• Layer 8 half sheets -- butter each layer. Each sheet will be an inch or so short, so stagger the sheets from corner to corner to cover the whole pan.
• Spread 1 cup of the walnut mixture.
• Repeat 8 sheets and walnut mixture twice. You will end up with 4 layers of nuts.
• Layer the remaining half sheets on top -- butter each layer.
• Brush the top with the remaining butter.
• Trim the edges off.
• Cut halfway through the layers using the pattern shown. (Note: Do NOT cut from corner to corner.) This is done now since it will be very fragile after it's been baked.
• Bake 1 hour or until golden brown.
• 15 minutes before the baklava should be done, mix 1 cup sugar, water, and lemon juice in a sauce pan.
• Cook sauce over a medium heat, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat, add the honey and vanilla, and stir until well blended.
• Remove the baklava from the oven and finish cutting through the layers.
• Pour the sauce over the hot baklava.
• Cool. Let it sit for at least 24 hours (lightly covered -- but not in the refrigerator) -- longer if you can stand it!
• A nice way to serve individual pieces is to put each one into a muffin cup that has been partially flattened.

EASY BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, mix the cinnamon, clove & walnuts together. Set aside.
• Brush the bottom of a 12x20 baking dish with butter.
• Place one pastry sheet in the dish & brush it with butter. Repeat this process so that 6 pastry sheets line the bottom of the dish.
• TIP: I pour my lukewarm butter in a spray bottle & mist the butter over the phyllo sheets. It prevents tearing & goes by so much quicker! Make sure you buy a misting bottle, not one that just streams -- it will make a big mess!
• Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture over top of the pastry sheets. Repeat this process so there are 3 layers of the nut mixture & 4 layers of the 6 buttered pastry sheets.
• Cut the baklava into diamond shapes (making parallel horizontal lines in the dish & making diagonal lines vertically in the dish).
• Bake baklava for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
• While cooking, heat the sugar, water, orange peel, lemon peel & cinnamon stick to a boil & then simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add honey and bring mixture to a boil.
• Remove pan from heat and add lemon juice.
• Stir together and set aside to cool.
• Remove lemon peel, orange peel and cinnamon stick.
• Spread the cooled syrup evenly over the hot baklava.
• Cover with a dish towel and let sit for one hour before serving.

CRISP, FLAKY BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Grease 13" x 9" baking dish. In large bowl with spoon, combine chopped walnuts, sugar and cinnamon until blended; set mixture aside.
• In baking dish, place 1 sheet of phyllo, allowing it to extend up sides of dish; brush with some more butter. Repeat to make 5 more layers of phyllo; sprinkle with 1 cup walnut mixture. Cut remaining phyllo into approximately 13" by 9" rectangles.
• Place one sheet of phyllo in baking dish over walnut mixture; brush with butter. Repeat to make at least 6 layers, overlapping small strips of phyllo to make rectangles, if necessary. Sprinkle 1 cup walnut mixture evenly over phyllo.
• Repeat step 3 two more times. Place remaining phyllo on top of last walnut layer. Trim any phyllo that extends over top of dish. With sharp knife, cut just halfway through all layers in a diamond pattern to make 28 servings. Bake in 300 degree Fahrenheit oven for 1 hour 25 minutes or until top is golden brown.
• Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, heat honey until hot but not boiling. Spoon hot honey evenly over baklava. Cool in pan on wire rack at least 1 hour, then cover and leave at room temperature until serving time.
• To serve: With sharp knife, finish cutting through layers.