Baklava

Show: Food 911Episode: Phyllo Fear in Southern California

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (24)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(24)

Cook Time:
1 hr 10 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
about 50 pieces, 25 servings

Times:

Prep: 15 min
Inactive Prep: 3 min
Cook: 1 hr 10 min
Total:: 1 hr 28 min

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Ingredients

1 pound shelled walnuts, toasted
1/2 pound blanched almonds, toasted
1/2 pound shelled pistachios, toasted
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 pound unsalted butter, melted
1 pound phyllo pastry sheets

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Finely chop the nuts in a food processor or coffee grinder. Transfer nuts to a bowl and mix in brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and cloves.

Brush a 13 by 9-inch baking pan with melted butter and set aside. Cut a piece of cardboard into a 13 by 9-inch rectangle. Unroll the phyllo dough and lay the sheets flat on a work surface. Set the cardboard template on the stack of phyllo and trim the excess so they fit the pan. Keep the pastry covered with a damp, not wet, towel as you work to prevent drying out.

To build the baklava, you will alternate 3 layers of dough with 2 layers of nuts. Start with a stable base of 8 sheets on the bottom, brushing each with melted butter. Spread 1/2 the nut mixture evenly over the stacked sheets. Cover with 4 sheets of phyllo, painting each with melted butter, then sprinkle again with remaining nut mixture. Top the last layer of nuts with 8 layers of phyllo as you did for the bottom. Drizzle any remaining butter over top.

If you have time, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes so the butter will set and make the baklava easier to cut. Using a sharp knife, make 5 cuts across lengthwise, then cut diagonally to form diamonds. Baklava is more difficult to cut after it is cooked because the pastry becomes so flaky. Bake for about 40 minutes until golden and flaky. If the top browns too quickly during baking, tent with foil.

Orange Scented Simple Syrup:

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1/2 cup orange blossom honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 large strips orange peel
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves

To make the syrup: combine the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes until thickened. Remove the orange peel, cinnamon stick, and whole clove; set aside to cool.

Remove an end piece of the baklava and tilt the pan to allow the butter to collect in the corner. Spoon out the excess and discard. With the pan flat, pour the syrup evenly over the hot baklava. Allow to stand for several hours before serving.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Baklava
B Denver, CO 08-22-2007
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AWESOME!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I have made this recipe twice now, although I only do half of the quantity. Lord knows I don't need more than a 9x9 pan of... that stuff laying around! Anyway, I layer 12 sheets on the bottom, 8 for the middle, and 12 for the top. Very stable and gives a more lucious presentation. I do up the cinnamon to 2 tsp. I love the large amount of nuts. Don't skimp on the pistachios. I did have to increase the syrup some to get it to cover enough. The first time my syrup was too runny. The second time I used a candy thermometer to 230F/Syrup. Perfect. For those that think it is too much syrup, try that. I did the syrup a day ahead, and the nut mixture a day ahead too. (I didn't worry about blanching the almonds.) This recipe is wonderful (and I eat a lot of Baklava, as I go to a lot of bellydance functions.) ;)Read more
recipe Baklava
KELLY Carlsbad, CA 07-09-2007
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Best ever!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This was the best baklava I've ever made, and I've made several over the years. It makes a LOT, so we shared with neighbors... who raved about it also. Thanks Tyler.Read more
recipe Baklava
Anonymous 05-10-2007
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great baklava
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

great easy to make baklava
recipe Baklava
Stephen Pocatello, ID 11-30-2006
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Nuts about Baklava
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I really enjoyed making this pastry. It was my first attempt at baklava and the instructions made it easy to make a pretty... good pastry for my first time. As one of my friends said after tasting the baklava..."You have some serious skills there", but the skills are from Tyler and watching Food 911. I did get the comment from a couple of my tasters (guinea pigs) that it was a little heavy on the nuts and not enough pastry. All in all it worked out very well.Read more
recipe Baklava
Bob Tacoma, WA 11-09-2006
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Faulty ingredient list
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

1;2 pound of phyllo and 1/2 pound butter is sufficient for this recipe. Tastes fine. But obviously not kitchen tested.
recipe Baklava
Peppi Virginia Beach, VA 11-07-2006
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Sweet Success with a Southern Twist
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this recipe with a few changes, using pecans and walnuts with a lemon scented syrup and it was both easy and devine! ... I encourage you to put your own twist on this recipe and see the same sweet success!Read more