What Is Baklava
Baklava is one of my favorite desserts. It originates in the Middle East and it’s a rich, decadent, sweet and delicious dessert. We’re talking irresistible layers of phyllo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened and held together with a honey syrup.
What Is Phyllo Pastry
Phyllo pastry or Filo is a very thin unleavened dough used for making pastries and it’s of Middle Eastern origin. Many popular desserts are made with Phyllo such as baklava and spanakopita!
Baklava Ingredients
For my Baklava recipe you will need one package of Phyllo pastry. The packages here usually have about 20 sheets of pastry in them, which is more than enough. If your Phyllo is frozen, take it out of the freezer the night before and thaw it in the fridge overnight. Take it out about an hour before assembling the baklava. You’ll also need plenty of butter, don’t skimp on the butter. The butter is what makes the phyllo layers super crispy. As far as nuts go, I love using pecans or walnuts. However, pistachios are great, even hazelnuts. I love to mix in a bit of cinnamon with my nuts for a bit of cinnamon flavor. The syrup is a simple syrup with butter, honey, sugar and a bit of vanilla extract.
How to Make Baklava
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. While working with phyllo pastry, always cover them with a damp towel so they don’t dry out. 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. Before actually starting to assemble the baklava, I like to make the honey syrup. The reason is because it needs to be cooled before actually drizzling it over the baklava.
How to Assemble Baklava
After you melt the butter, take a brush and brush the bottom and the sides of the baking sheet. Place one sheet of phyllo at the bottom of the dish, then butter the top of the sheet. Place another sheet on top of it and brush the top again with butter. Repeat this until you have 6 layers of phyllo. Layer generously with chopped pecans or walnuts, about 1 1/4 cups. Layer with another phyllo sheet and butter it well. This sheet will be a bit more difficult to brush. Another option is to brush the phyllo sheet with butter and lay it with the buttered side down over the pecans. Lay another sheet over it and brush with butter. Repeat until you have another 5 phyllo sheets. Layer with another 1/3 of the pecan mixture then repeat with 5 more of the phyllo sheets. Repeat this until you have 3 layers of pecans, see table below. Butter the top phyllo sheet with butter as well. Using a sharp knife cut the baklava diagonally, or into squares, which ever way you prefer. Now it’s beginning to look like baklava. Bake it in a preheated 350 F degree oven for about 35 to 40 minutes. If you haven’t made the honey syrup before, do it now. 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. After you remove the baklava from the oven, pour the syrup immediately over the baklava, making sure you pour all over. Finally, top each piece of baklava with remaining chopped nuts. At this point I like to take a sharp knife and run it through the cut baklava again, just to make sure we can easily take out each piece.
Tips for Using Phyllo Pastry
Phyllo pastry can be quite intimidating and frustrating to work with because it dries out and tears quickly. However with a couple simple tricks, you’ll have nothing to worry about.
Hungry for More Delicious Desserts? Try These:
Cheesecake Recipe Sticky Toffee Pudding Pecan Pie Cheesecake Red Velour Cake Tiramisu Tres Leches Cake Chocolate Cake
Originally posted Dec 2011. Updated with more information, video and new pictures.
