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Bakalava

Baklava

A rich and flaky dessert made with layers of nuts sandwiched between layers of paper thin dough and baked to perfection. After baking, these layers are drenched in sugar syrup to sweeten them. A favorite from the Turkish Ottoman cuisine can be now made in your own kitchen.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 50 pieces
Calories 4 kcal

Ingredients
  

Syrup

  • 1.25 cup Granulated Sugar
  • ¾ cup Honey
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
  • 1.25 cup Water

Bakalava

  • 16 oz 1 Package Phyllo Dough
  • 1 lb Pecans
  • ¼ cup loosely packed Brown sugar
  • ½ tsp Cinnamon Powder
  • 1 cup Ghee or Butter

Required Equipment

  • Large Mixing Bowl
  • Measuring spoons and cups
  • Sharp Knife
  • Muslin cloth
  • 9 x13 Baking Tray See Recipe Notes
  • Small Sauce Pan
  • Cling Film/Aluminum Foil

Instructions
 

Prepare the syrup

  • Combine water and sugar in a sauce pan and bring to boil.
  • Once the sugar has dissolved completely, mix in the honey and simmer for 20 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and add the vanilla essence.
  • Stir to mix well and refrigerate the syrup (See recipe notes).

Prepare Baklava

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degree Farenheit or 180 degree Celcius.
  • Using a food processor or Indian style mixer grinder, finely chop the nuts (See Recipe Notes).
  • In a mixing bowl combine the chopped nuts with cinnamon and brown sugar.
  • Assemble all the ingredients and the equipments before you start. Wet the muslin cloth and wring it. The towel should be just damp and not soaking wet. This towel will be used to cover the phyllo dough sheets when you are working with the baklava layers.
  • Gently unroll the phyllo dough without breaking the sheets. You can unroll it on the same plastic sheet it comes rolled in.
  • Cover with the dampened towel. You have to keep the phyllo dough covered with this towel while you are working with the layers. This prevents the sheets from drying up.
  • Line your baking tray with Aluminium foil. Set the baking tray on the counter with the longer side facing you.
  • Place a phyllo dough sheet on it as shown. (Please refer the detailed pictorial)
  • Place another phyllo dough sheet adjacent to the one on the baking tray (with a slight overlap).This forms one layer of the baklava.
  • After each layer (2 sheets) you place on the baking tray, gently but quickly apply ghee or melted butter on the phyllo dough sheets using a pastry brush.
  • Repeat the above three steps (8,9,10) and make 5 more layers of phyllo dough (10 sheets) applying ghee/butter between each layer. At the end of this step, you wil have 6 phyllo dough layers.
  • On top of the 6th layer, after applying ghee/butter, sprinkle about quarter of the nut mixture.
  • Make sure the whole layer is covered evenly.
  • Top the nut mixture with two layers of phyllo dough. Apply butter after each phyllo dough layer.
  • Repeat the steps 12, 13 and 14 three more times - the pattern you would follow is : Nut mixture, phyllo layer, ghee/butter, phyllo layer, ghee/butter.
  • Top this with 5- more layers of phyllo dough sheets; applying butter between each layer.
  • Trim the edges using a sharp knife.
  • Remove the excess phyllo dough from the edges to make it neat (See Recipe Notes).
  • Cut the baklava all the way down to the pan into about 50 squares (or more) using a sharp knife.
  • Bake for about 50-55 minutes.
  • Remove the baklava from the oven and pour the cool sugar syrup on the pieces and into the gaps, making sure all the pieces are drenched.
  • Cool uncovered to room temperature. Refrigerate for 5-6 hours before serving. This gives the pieces enough time to soak up all the syrup.
  • Serve cold or at room temperature.

Notes

1.I line my baking tray with Aluminum foil. This is optional. But it covers up the dark spots on the tray, also reduces the scratches formed when you cut through the baklava.[br]2.The syrup has to completely cool down before pouring on the baked baklava. I make the syrup in the morning and refrigerate it till it is ready to be poured on the baklava. And I make the baklava in the afternoon/ later afternoon. So, the syrup has enough time to cool down.[br]3.Pour the sugar syrup soon after you remove the baklava from the oven. [br]4.You can toast the nuts before chopping them to enhance their flavor.[br]5.Even if the phyllo sheets break when you use them, do not worry. That's the beauty of baklava - it is a flaky layered dessert.[br]6.In traditional baklava, rose water is also an ingredient of the syrup. I personally do not like the rose water flavor, so I omitted it. [br]7.If you do not have a big baking tray, you can trim the sheets using kitchen scissors before layering them on the tray. [br]8.Trimming the edges of the baklava is to give it a neat look, and is only necessary if the phyllo dough sheets do not fit in your baking tray.[br]9.This can be stored in the refrigerator for at least a week.[br]10. If required, you can garnish the pieces with chopped pistachios.