My husband and I have a long-standing tradition of making baklava together for Christmas day. Baklava is a traditional Greek dessert made with phyllo dough, walnuts and a special syrup. It is best made well in advance of serving so the ingredients have time to soak into the phyllo dough. Mmmm.
BAKLAVA RECIPE
BAKLAVA INGREDIENTS FOR LAYERING
1 (16 oz) pkg phyllo dough (use both packages in the box)
1 cup melted butter (2 sticks)
1 pound chopped walnuts (finely chopped in a food processor)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
INGREDIENTS FOR BAKLAVA SAUCE
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean
½ cup honey
some orange peel and lemon peel
juice of ½ a lemon
1 cinnamon stick
whole cloves
DIRECTIONS FOR BAKLAVA SAUCE
In saucepan over medium heat, mix water and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and add vanilla, honey, citrus peels, lemon juice & cinnamon stick. Simmer gently for 20 minutes. Remove from heat to cool & remove citrus and cinnamon stick.
ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Chop nuts in food processor and toss with cinnamon. Set aside.
Butter the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan.(one with square edges is better than rounded like the glass pan we used.)
Unroll phyllo dough, keep covered with a damp towel while working.
Reserve 6-8 sheets of phyllo dough for the top layer. Cover & set aside.
Layer 8 sheets of phyllo dough on the bottom, buttering each sheet with melted butter.
Sprinkle approximately 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top.
Add two more sheets of phyllo, buttering each individually.
**Press each sheet down firmly before buttering.**
Add a layer of nuts as shown.
Add two more sheets of dough, pressing, buttering & nutting. ☺
Repeat until nuts are gone, then place the remaining 6-8 layers on top, buttering each.
Using a very sharp knife, cut according to diagram below.
Poke one clove into center of each triangle.
Bake for approximately 1 hour to 1.5 hours or until golden brown, remove from oven & immediately pour cooled sauce over the hot baklava.
Kathy Shea Mormino
Affectionately known internationally as The Chicken Chick®, Kathy Shea Mormino shares a fun-loving, informative style to raising backyard chickens. …Read on
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My husband and I have a long-standing tradition of making baklava together for Christmas day. Baklava is a traditional Greek dessert made with phyllo dough, walnuts and a special syrup. It is best made well in advance of serving so the ingredients have time to soak into the phyllo dough. Mmmm.
BAKLAVA RECIPE
BAKLAVA INGREDIENTS FOR LAYERING
1 (16 oz) pkg phyllo dough (use both packages in the box)
1 cup melted butter (2 sticks)
1 pound chopped walnuts (finely chopped in a food processor)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
INGREDIENTS FOR BAKLAVA SAUCE
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean
½ cup honey
some orange peel and lemon peel
juice of ½ a lemon
1 cinnamon stick
whole cloves
DIRECTIONS FOR BAKLAVA SAUCE
In saucepan over medium heat, mix water and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and add vanilla, honey, citrus peels, lemon juice & cinnamon stick. Simmer gently for 20 minutes. Remove from heat to cool & remove citrus and cinnamon stick.
ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Chop nuts in food processor and toss with cinnamon. Set aside.
Butter the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan.(one with square edges is better than rounded like the glass pan we used.)
Unroll phyllo dough, keep covered with a damp towel while working.
Reserve 6-8 sheets of phyllo dough for the top layer. Cover & set aside.
Layer 8 sheets of phyllo dough on the bottom, buttering each sheet with melted butter.
Sprinkle approximately 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top.
Add two more sheets of phyllo, buttering each individually.
**Press each sheet down firmly before buttering.**
Add a layer of nuts as shown.
Add two more sheets of dough, pressing, buttering & nutting. ☺
Repeat until nuts are gone, then place the remaining 6-8 layers on top, buttering each.
Using a very sharp knife, cut according to diagram below.
Poke one clove into center of each triangle.
Bake for approximately 1 hour to 1.5 hours or until golden brown, remove from oven & immediately pour cooled sauce over the hot baklava.
Hens and dogs are cute but odors are not. PDZ is especially great in the summer when the dogs have had too much water!
Thank you for the recipe .. We always buy baklava for Christmas now i can make my own… would like to win !!!
Yum…I ordered a Baklava for Thanksgiving from Harry and Davids.Yours looks much better.I would love to win the Sweet Pdz.Chickens sure can stink!
Tip: Use clarified butter in between the sheets of Phyllo. Makes all the difference.
Your recipe sounds delicious, and its fun to have traditions. I appreciate your offering the PDZ as a giveaway. I've been wanting to give it a try!