5 Star Baklava Recipes

BAKLAVA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and cloves; set aside. Brush a 15x10x1-in. baking pan with some of the butter. Unroll 1 package phyllo dough; cut stack into a 10-1/2x9-in. rectangle. Repeat with remaining phyllo. Discard scraps., Line bottom of prepared pan with 2 sheets of phyllo dough (sheets will overlap slightly). Brush with butter. Repeat layers 14 times. (Keep dough covered with a damp towel until ready to use to prevent it from drying out.) , Spread with 2 cups walnut mixture. Top with 5 layers of phyllo dough, brushing with butter between each sheet. Spread with remaining walnut mixture. Top with 1 layer of phyllo dough; brush with butter. Repeat 14 times. Cut into 2-1/2-in. squares; cut each square in half diagonally. Brush remaining butter over top. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown., In a large saucepan, bring syrup ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and discard zest; cool to lukewarm. Pour syrup over warm baklava.

EASY BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Toss together cinnamon and nuts. Unroll phyllo and cut whole stack in half to fit the dish. Cover phyllo with a damp cloth while assembling the baklava, to keep it from drying out.
• Place two sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the prepared dish. Brush generously with butter. Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture on top. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, ending with about 6 sheets of phyllo. Using a sharp knife, cut baklava (all the way through to the bottom of the dish) into four long rows, then (nine times) diagonally to make 36 diamond shapes.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and crisp, about 50 minutes.
• While baklava is baking, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir in honey, vanilla and lemon or orange zest; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
• Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately spoon the syrup over it. Let cool completely before serving. Store uncovered.

BEST BAKLAVA YOU WILL EVER EAT!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Mix sugar, water, lemon juice and cloves in a small sauce pan. Cook until it is boiling and becomes transparent. Then, remove it from heat and add vanilla and then set aside. Once it has cooled off, place in the fridge.
• Meanwhile, mix together pecans, raisins, coconut, and remaining 1/4c sugar and mix together. Set aside.
• Melt butter and using a pastry brush, spread a thin layer on the bottom and sides of a 13x9 baking pan.
• Take half of the phyllo dough and press down into pan. Pour 1/2 of melted butter on top and spread out with pastry brush, patting it lightly into the dough.
• Spread out filling over the butter and then cover with remaining phyllo dough. Pour and spread remaining butter on top.
• *Important* Make sure that you cut the dough before cooking, so that the butter will soak through all of the layers. Make 5 slices along the width (to make 6 rows) and 2 slices on the length (3 rows). Then slice them diagonally so you end up with 36 triangles.
• Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 10-12 mins covered. Remove cover and cook for an additional 15-20 mins (depends on if you are using a metal or glass pan, the lesser time is for metal). Once it is really golden, pull it out and pour refridgerated sauce over it. Pop it back into the oven for an extra 3-4mins so that it caramelizes. Let it cool to room temperature at which time you can serve it OR you can put it into the freezer covered with aluminium foil. If you freeze, take it out after 2 or more hours (overnight is fine), reslice and wrap in aluminium foil and refreeze. This will keep for months and be really yummy! Enjoy!

WALNUT BAKLAVA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Grease a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish with some of the melted butter. Unroll phyllo dough sheets (keep dough covered with plastic wrap while assembling). , Place one sheet of phyllo in baking dish; brush with butter. Top with a second sheet; brush with butter. Fold long ends under to fit the dish. Sprinkle with about 1/4 cup nut mixture. Repeat 18 times, layering two sheets, brushing with butter and sprinkling with nut mixture. Top with remaining dough; brush with butter. Cut into 2-in. diamonds with a sharp knife. , Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the syrup ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Pour over warm baklava. Cool on a wire rack.

BAKLAVA RECIPE

Steps:

• Thaw phyllo dough by package instructions (this is best done overnight in the fridge, then place it on the counter for 1 hr before starting your recipe to bring it to room temp).
• Trim phyllo dough to fit your baking dish. My phyllo package had 2 rolls with a total of 40 sheets that measured 9x14 so I had to trim them slightly. You can trim one stack at a time then cover with a damp towel to keep from drying out.
• Butter the bottom and sides of a 13x9 non-stick baking pan.
• In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup honey, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil over med/high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then reduce heat to med/low and boil additional 4 min without stirring. Remove from heat and let syrup cool while preparing baklava.
• Pulse walnuts 10 times in a food process or until coarsely ground/ finely chopped. In a medium bowl, stir together: 4 cups finely chopped walnuts and 1 tsp cinnamon.
• Place 10 phyllo sheets into baking pan one at a time, brushing each sheet with butter once it's in the pan before adding the next (i.e. place phyllo sheet into pan, brush the top with butter, place next phyllo sheet in pan, butter the top, etc. etc.). Keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel at all times. Spread about 1/5 of nut mixture (about 3/4 cup) over phyllo dough.
• Add 5 buttered sheets of phyllo, then another layer of nuts. Repeat x 4. Finish off with 10 layers of buttered phyllo sheets. Brush the very top with butter.
• Cut pastry into 1 1/2" wide strips, then cut diagonally to form diamond shapes. Bake at 325˚F for 1 hour and 15 min or until tops are golden brown.
• Remove from oven and immediately spoon cooled syrup evenly over the hot baklava (you'll hear it sizzle). This will ensure that it stays crisp rather than soggy. Let baklava cool completely, uncovered and at room temp. For best results, let baklava sit 4-6 hours or overnight at room temperature for the syrup to penetrate and soften the layers. Garnish baklava with finely chopped nuts or drizzle with melted chocolate. Store at room temp, covered with a tea towel for 1 to 2 weeks.

BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the cinnamon stick and whole allspice into a spice grinder and grind.
• Place the almonds, walnuts, pistachios, sugar and freshly ground spices into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, but not pasty or powdery, approximately 15 quick pulses. Set aside.
• Combine the water and rose water in a small spritz bottle and set aside.
• Trim the sheets of phyllo to fit the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch metal pan. Brush the bottom and sides of the pan with butter; lay down a sheet of phyllo and brush with butter. Repeat this step 9 more times for a total of 10 sheets of phyllo. Top with 1/3 of the nut mixture and spread thinly. Spritz thoroughly with the rose water. Layer 6 more sheets of phyllo with butter in between each of them, followed by another third of the nuts and spritz with rose water. Repeat with another 6 sheets of phyllo, butter, remaining nuts, and rose water. Top with 8 sheets of phyllo brushing with butter in between each sheet. Brush the top generously with butter. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cut into 28 squares. Return pan to the oven and continue to bake for another 30 minutes. Remove pan from the oven, place on a cooling rack, and cool for 2 hours before adding the syrup.
• Make the syrup during the last 30 minutes of cooling. Combine the honey, water, sugar, cinnamon stick and orange peel in a 4-quart saucepan and set over high heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Once boiling, boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and discard the orange peel and cinnamon stick.
• After the baklava has cooled for 2 hours, re-cut the entire pan following the same lines as before. Pour the hot syrup evenly over the top of the baklava, allowing it to run into the cuts and around the edges of the pan. Allow the pan to sit, uncovered until completely cool. Cover and store at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to overnight before serving. Store, covered, at room temperature for up to 5 days.

MARTHA'S BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together nuts, 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon rose water, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Place remaining 2 1/2 cups sugar, water, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; immediately reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add remaining tablespoon rose water and return to boil; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and let syrup cool completely.
• Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with clarified butter. Carefully layer half the phyllo dough in baking dish, brushing between each layer with clarified butter. Sprinkle nut mixture over top and continue layering remaining phyllo dough over nut mixture, brushing between each layer with clarified butter.
• Brush top layer generously with clarified butter. Using a sharp knife with a very thin blade (such as a boning knife), score baklava into 1 1/2-inch-wide diamond-shaped pieces, cutting through all phyllo layers.
• Transfer to oven and bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and continue baking until golden brown, about 50 minutes more. Remove from oven and pour syrup over baklava; let cool completely before serving.

BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine nuts, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves in a bowl.
• Unroll phyllo; halve crosswise. Immediately cover with plastic wrap and then a damp towel. Keep covered while working.
• Brush a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan with melted butter. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo in pan. Lightly brush with butter; cover with another sheet of phyllo, and butter again. Layer phyllo and butter 5 more times, ending with phyllo.
• Sprinkle phyllo with 2 tablespoons nut mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo over, brush with butter, and cover with a sheet of phyllo. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons nut mixture; repeat layering with butter, phyllo, and nuts until filling is used up, for a total of about 21 layers. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo over; brush with butter. Layer phyllo and butter six more times.
• Using a sharp knife, score the surface of the pastry (1/4 inch deep) diagonally into diamonds (about 2 inches long). Bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer 3 to 4 minutes.
• Pour the syrup over surface of baklava; let cool completely. To serve, use a sharp knife to cut into pieces along scored lines.

BAKLAVA RECIPE- HOW TO MAKE BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat stove-top, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Add the honey, orange extract if using, and whole cloves; stir to mix. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and let simmer for about 25 minutes. Remove syrup from heat and let cool to lukewarm. Add lemon juice. Remove the whole cloves.
• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, add the pistachios, walnut, and hazelnuts. Pulse a few times to chop. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add sugar, cinnamon, and ground cloves. Mix well to combine.
• Unroll the thawed phyllo pastry and place the sheets in between two clean kitchen towels. This will help keep the phyllo from breaking while you work.
• Prepare a 9"x 13"x 2" baking pan. Brush the interior of the baking pan with some of the melted butter. To assemble the baklava, take one sheet of phyllo and place it in the pan (for this size pan, I typically fold my phyllo sheet in half, and it fits perfectly. You can also do a bit of trimming using a pair of kitchen shears). Brush the top of the phyllo sheet with the melted butter.
• Repeat this process a few more times until you have used up about 1/3 of the phyllo pastry, each layer being brushed with the melted butter.
• Now, distribute about ½ of the nut mixture evenly over the top layer of phyllo.
• Continue assembling the baklava, one sheet of phyllo pastry at a time using another 1/3 of the phyllo. Again, brush each layer with a bit of the melted butter.
• Distribute the remaining ½ of the nut mixture evenly over the top layer of phyllo.
• Finish the remaining 1/3 of the phyllo pastry following the same process, laying one folded sheet at a time and brushing each layer with melted butter. Brush the very top sheet of phyllo with butter.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the pastry into 24 diamond shaped pieces (you can get up to 36 smaller pieces). (Review the tutorial above to see how I cut baklava).
• Place the baking dish on the middle rack of your heated oven. Bake anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes or until the top of the baklava turns golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. (IMPORTANT...Because ovens vary, be sure to check your baklava half-way through baking).
• As soon as you remove the baklava from the oven, pour the cooled syrup all over the hot baklava.
• Allow baklava to sit for a few hours before serving or for at least 1 hour. Cut through the earlier marked pieces. Serve with a garnish of chopped pistachios, if you like.

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.

CLASSIC GREEK BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9 by 13-inch pan.
• Mix the nuts with cinnamon, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup of melted butter. Set aside. Unroll the phyllo pastry. Cut the whole stack in half to fit the pan. Cover the phyllo with a dampened clean kitchen towel to keep the phyllo from drying out as you work. Lay 2 phyllo sheets in the pan and using a brush, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 6 sheets layered. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups nut mixture on top. Layer with 2 phyllo sheets, brush with butter and add nuts to end up with 4 layers of nuts and dough. The top layer should be about 6 to 8 phyllo sheets deep.
• Using a sharp knife, cut diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut 4 long rows then make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the baklava is golden and crisp.
• Make the sauce while the baklava is baking. Boil the water and remaining sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add the honey and vanilla. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately spoon the sauce over it. Let cool.
• In the meantime, place the grapes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the grapes start to burst.
• Serve the baklava with Greek yogurt, the baked grapes and a drizzle of honey and crushed walnuts.
• Cook's Notes: Walnuts can be replaced by any kind of nuts or a combination of nuts.
• Phyllo pastry is available in the freezer section of most grocery stores.

BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Make the filling: Arrange the walnuts in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake until fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. (Leave the oven on to bake the baklava.) Let the walnuts cool until just warm to the touch. In a food processor, combine the walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and process until the mixture looks like sand and small pebbles. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and set aside.
• Make the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, honey, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon stick (if using), and orange rind (if using). Bring to a boil over medium heat (watch carefully so it doesn't boil over), reduce the temperature to low, and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Let the syrup cool until you are ready to use it.
• Prep: Near a flat, clean work surface, place a 9x13-inch baking dish, a pastry brush, and the melted butter. Gently lay the phyllo on the work surface and, using a sharp knife, trim the sheets into 8x12-inch rectangles to fit the baking dish. (You can discard the portions you cut off.) Cover the phyllo with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out.
• Assemble the baklava: Brush melted butter on the bottom of the pan. Add the phyllo, 2 sheets at a time, drizzling with 2 to 3 teaspoons of butter after every 2 sheets. When you get to the 14th sheet, add ⅓ of the filling (about 1¼ cups), spreading it evenly over the surface. Then add 6 more phyllo sheets, drizzling butter after every 2 and adding another third of the filling on top of the 6th. Repeat the 6 layers of phyllo and butter, and add the remaining third of the filling over top. Finish the layering as you started with 14 more layers of phyllo, buttering after every 2. Do not butter the top layer.
• Score: To cut the baklava, use a very sharp knife and cut all the way through the layers. You can keep it simple and make 24 squares, or cut each square into a diamond. If this is your first time making baklava, start with the squares to get used to cutting the phyllo. If any butter remains, spoon it into the cut lines.
• Bake: Bake the baklava for 40 to 45 minutes. The top should be golden brown, and you should hear it bubbling.
• Add the syrup: Let the baklava cool for 5 minutes; then use a spoon to drizzle the syrup into all of the cuts. Allow the baklava to cool completely before enjoying, a few hours or overnight.
• Make-Ahead Instructions: The baklava can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For longer storage, the baklava can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
• Note: The number of sheets of phyllo dough in each package varies by brand (and even by box). You will need a total of 40 sheets of phyllo dough for this recipe. Frozen phyllo dough should be thawed in the refrigerator 12 to 24 hours before using.