Easy Lebanese Baklawa Food

EASY BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Toss together cinnamon and nuts. Unroll phyllo and cut whole stack in half to fit the dish. Cover phyllo with a damp cloth while assembling the baklava, to keep it from drying out.
• Place two sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the prepared dish. Brush generously with butter. Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture on top. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, ending with about 6 sheets of phyllo. Using a sharp knife, cut baklava (all the way through to the bottom of the dish) into four long rows, then (nine times) diagonally to make 36 diamond shapes.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and crisp, about 50 minutes.
• While baklava is baking, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir in honey, vanilla and lemon or orange zest; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
• Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately spoon the syrup over it. Let cool completely before serving. Store uncovered.

EASY LEBANESE BAKLAWA

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine the water and sugar and boil over high heat for 15 minutes to form a syrup. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and orange blossom water (you can substitute rose water if you can't find orange blossom water), and set aside to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Open the package of phyllo dough. If your phyllo dough came in a 1 lb. box, use only half of it. Carefully lift one sheet of the phyllo (it is paper thin and very fragile, so work quickly and carefully!) and place it on a large, smooth baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, brush melted butter over the sheet. Place the next sheet of phyllo on top, and repeat with the butter. Repeat this process until all of the sheets have been buttered and stacked.
• Using a large, sharp knife, cut the stacked phyllo into 3 inch by 3 inch squares. Carefully roll each square up into a log , and place on another baking sheet (seam side down). Bake for 25 minutes, or until the logs start to turn a golden color.
• Using a tablespoon, pour the cooled syrup onto the baklawa rolls. Repeat if desired (for a sweeter baklawa).
• Place the pistachio nuts in a resealable plastic bag. Using a rolling pin, crush the nuts. Place the baklawa logs onto a serving plate and top with the nuts. Makes about 15 pieces.

BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and grease a 21cm x 21cm square cake tin with butter. Chop the nuts into small pieces using a food processor, taking care not to blitz them to a paste. Put them into a bowl, stir in the honey and a pinch of salt and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat. Cut the first pack of filo pastry sheets in half (so that they fit the tin). Put one sheet in the tin and brush with the melted butter. Lay another sheet on top and brush with butter again, keep layering like this until the whole pack is used up.
• Spread the honey and nut mixture over the pastry and press it down lightly with the back of a spoon. Open the other pack of filo, cut in half and continue the layering and buttering process. When you reach the last sheet pour any remaining butter over the top to finish. Use a sharp knife to cut deep lines into the pastry to create either squares or diamond shapes then bake in the oven for 20 mins.
• Reduce the heat to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and bake for a further 45 mins. While the baklava cooks put all the syrup ingredients into a saucepan and add 200ml water. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved then boil the mixture for 8-10 mins or until it has reduced to the consistency of runny honey.
• When the baklava comes out of the oven, pour the warm syrup over the top, allowing it to run into the lines you have cut. Leave it to soak in and serve when it's completely cold.

BAKLAWA (LEBANESE VERSION OF BAKLAVA)

Steps:

• Unwrap and carefully unfold thawed phyllo dough; cover with plastic wrap or wax paper and a damp cloth to keep the dough from drying out.
• FOR THE FILLING -- Grind the walnuts coarsely, mix with sugar and orange blossom water until well blended. Butter a 12 x 16 inch baking pan. Render the butter.
• FOR THE ASSEMBLY -- Layer one package of the phyllo sheets in the pan, buttering generously between each sheet with a pastry brush or cloth dipped in butter. Mix 2-3 tablespoons of water with the walnut mixture and put over the top of the last sheet, making sure to keep the layer of walnuts level.
• Repeat the same procedure with the second package of dough, buttering generously between each sheet, and butter the top. Cut into diamonds, dipping the knife into hot water as you go for easier cutting. Pour over any remaining butter.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour (depending on your oven) or until bottom is done and top is golden brown. If top does not brown nicely, put the baklawa under the broiler for a few seconds, watching constantly, as it will burn very quickly.
• FOR THE SYRUP -- Mix sugar and water together and bring to a boil. Boil about 15-20 minutes. Remove syrup from heat, add lemon juice and orange blossom water. Stir and let cool.
• SHORTCUT -- Butter pan and place one whole package of phyllo dough in pan, butter top, and add nut filling. Place second package of phyllo dough over nuts and butter the top. Cut into diamonds and pour all the rendered butter into the pan, making sure it settles into all the cuts and around edges. Bake as directed above.