Moms Baklava Recipes

BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Combine the nuts, cinnamon and ground crackers in a bowl.
• Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with some of the butter. Layer 10 pieces of phyllo in the dish, brushing each piece with butter before adding the next (keep the remaining dough covered with a damp towel). Sprinkle a quarter of the nut mixture over the dough. Layer 4 pieces of phyllo on top, brushing each with butter before adding the next; sprinkle with another quarter of the nut mixture. Add 4 more phyllo pieces on top, brushing each with butter, then add another quarter of the nut mixture, 4 more pieces of phyllo with butter, and the remaining nuts.
• Layer the remaining 10 pieces of phyllo on top of the nuts, brushing each with butter; brush the top piece with extra butter. Cut into the baklava to make strips, about 1 1/2 inches wide. Then make diagonal slices, about 1 1/2 inches apart, to create a diamond pattern. Bake until golden, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the syrup: Bring the sugar, honey and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice and boil 2 more minutes, then let cool slightly.
• Pour the syrup over the warm baklava; let soak, uncovered, at least 6 hours or overnight. Garnish with nuts.

EASY BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Make the syrup: Combine sugar, 1 cup water, honey, orange zest and cardamom in a saucepan. Simmer over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the rose water, if using. Let cool, then pour the syrup into an airtight container and refrigerate until chilled, or up to 1 day in advance.
• Make the baklava: Heat the oven to 350 degrees, with a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir together melted butter and oil in a bowl, and set near where you'll be rolling the baklava.
• In a food processor, pulse the peanuts, pistachios, walnuts, confectioners' sugar, rose water, cardamom and cinnamon until the nuts are very finely chopped and the mixture is almost pasty.
• Lay 3 sheets of phyllo dough stacked on top of one another on the counter or cutting board with one of the short sides closest to you. Cover the unused sheets of phyllo with a damp kitchen towel as you work, or they'll dry out.
• Very generously brush the top layer of phyllo dough with about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the butter mixture. Spread a fifth (about 1 1/4 cups/145 grams) of the nut mixture on the bottom third of the phyllo dough and pack it down. Roll the 3 phyllo sheets together away from you to form a compact log. Keep the seam side down as you work on more rolls. Repeat with the remaining phyllo dough and nut mixture to form 4 more rolls. Place the rolls on the baking sheet and freeze for 10 minutes to make them easier to slice.
• Remove from the freezer and, using a serrated knife, cut the rolls evenly into about 1-inch slices. Arrange the slices, cut sides up and well spaced apart, on the same baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.
• Remove from the oven. While still warm, carefully transfer the baklava and arrange snugly, cut side up, in a large serving dish (a 9-by-13-will fit most, but not all the rolls). Discard the orange zest and cardamom pod from the chilled rose syrup and pour the syrup all over the baklava. Let baklava cool completely before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 1 month.

GREEK BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.
• Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.
• Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
• Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

MOM'S BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the honey-citrus simple syrup: Whisk together the sugar, honey, water and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the orange peel and continue to boil without stirring, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat to cool while you assemble the baklava. The syrup will thicken as it cools.
• For the nut filling: Add the pistachios and walnuts to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer the nuts to a large bowl along with the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon and salt and mix until combined. Set aside.
• To assemble: Brush a 9-by-13-inch pan with some of the melted butter. Unroll the whole package of phyllo and cut it in half to fit the pan or trim to fit flat. (As you work, cover the unused phyllo sheets with wax paper underneath a damp clean kitchen towel.) Lay 1 sheet of phyllo in the bottom of the pan. Brush with butter, covering the entire surface, then lay another sheet of phyllo on top. Repeat this process until you have 10 layers of phyllo, with butter brushed on top. Add half of the nut mixture, spreading it evenly over the buttered surface, then gently press in with your hands. Begin layering the phyllo and melted butter until you have 10 more layers of phyllo, with butter brushed on top. Add the remaining nut mixture, then layer 10 more sheets of phyllo, brushing with butter in between layers. Brush the top with melted butter, then score the phyllo dough into diamonds, cutting about 1/4-inch deep. (Cut 4 strips lengthwise, then diagonal cuts for a diamond shape).
• Bake until puffed and golden brown on top, about 1 hour. Ladle the cooled syrup over the top, allowing it to absorb in between pours. Allow the baklava to sit until the syrup is completely absorbed, at least 30 minutes. Separate into bars and serve. The baklava freezes very well.