Mixed Nut Honey Baklava Recipes

HONEY NUT BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Thaw phyllo dough by package instructions, you'll need both rolls as most packages have two rolls separately packaged.
• Lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
• Unfold the sheet to a 20x26 size and cut in half making 2 9(ish)x13 portions. You can trim one stack at a time (or less) then cover with a damp towel to keep from drying out.

MIXED NUT & HONEY BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Place all the syrup ingredients in a medium saucepan with 300ml of water and bring to a gentle simmer. Let it bubble away, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by a third. Leave to cool. (The syrup must be cool when it is poured over the pastry otherwise the pastry will go soggy.)
• Blitz the nuts in a food processor until coarse, then tip into a bowl and stir through the cinnamon and cloves.
• Melt the butter, using a little of it to lightly grease a 40 x 25cm shallow tin with a pastry brush. Gently unfold the filo and cover with a damp tea towel to stop it cracking.
• Layer sheets of filo in the tin and brush each layer with melted butter. After 4 layers, scatter over half the nut mixture; repeat with 4 layers of filo, then the rest of the nuts. Top with the last 4 layers of filo, then generously butter the top. Cut into diamonds with a sharp knife - ensure the blade goes right to the bottom.
• Bake on the middle shelf of the oven on a hot baking sheet for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp, reducing the temperature to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3 if the baklava looks as though it is browning too quickly.
• Remove the baklava from the oven and spoon half the cooled syrup over the top. Leave for 5 minutes, then spoon over the remaining syrup. Allow the baklava to cool before removing the individual pieces from the dish with a palette knife.

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.

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.

MIXED-NUT HONEY BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Soak the diced figs in the rum in a large bowl for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spread the walnuts and almonds out on a baking sheet and toast until darkened and fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cool. Toss the nuts, chocolate, sugar, and spices with the figs and the rum.
• Bring the butter to a simmer over low heat. Skim and discard the foamy solids that rise to the top until the butter is clear, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Lightly butter a 16 1/2 by 11 1/2-inch sheet pan. Remove the phyllo from the package, unroll and lay it on the counter next to the pan and cover with a kitchen towel. Lay 1 sheet of the phyllo on the pan and brush lightly with butter. Repeat with 11 more sheets of phyllo working quickly and keeping the phyllo covered, as you assemble the baklava. Scatter 1/3 of the nut mixture (about 1 1/2 cups) evenly over the layers of phyllo. Repeat 2 more times and top with the remaining 12 sheets of dough. Carefully, cut 3/4 of the way through the phyllo and nut filling to make about 96 (1 1/2-inch) squares.
• Bake the baklava until light brown and cooked through, about 1 hour. Raise the temperature to 450 degrees F and bake until golden crisp, about 5 to 8 more minutes.
• While the baklava crisps make the syrup: Heat the sugar, honey, and water in a saucepan over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon juice and carefully pour the hot syrup over the just baked baklava, making sure to get into all the cuts. Let cool. Complete the pre-made cuts in the baklava and serve with some honey drizzled on top.
• Store the baklava in a sealed container for up to 1 week.