My older sister used to have a catering company and her business partner was Greek. Between Kathy and all the other wonderful Greek and Middle Eastern people I've been fortunate enough to call friends, I have long been in love with their cuisine.
Granny Mae Wisdom--Everything is better with butter and salt.
The main thing to remember about Baklava is that phyllo dough is very delicate, but don't be afraid if you tear a sheet. Those imperfections are what make it perfect! I use a damp towel to keep the dough damp and pliable, but I've also not done this, so you can work with the phyllo either way and it won't change the taste.
You can also cut the sheets in half to make a smaller batch. Since my family loves it, I need all the baklava I can to satiate them :) I also butter the leftover sheets and bake them separately. My babies love chewing on the crispy buttered sheets, too.
While Baklava looks intimidating, it really is an easy thing to make. The only thing is it's time intensive to layer the dough and easy to lose count. To help with that, I have a Baklava song I wrote to help me remember which layer I'm working on.
Baklava
For the pastry:
1 16 oz package of phyllo dough thawed (thaw for 24 hours in the fridge)
Approximately 16 oz of walnuts
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp salt
1 cup butter (melted)
For the syrup:
1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of honey
1 cinnamon stick
2 strips of lemon peel
Steps:
1. Make sure to thaw the dough. If you're cutting it in half, you can thaw one of the sleeves. If you don't plan to cut it in half, then you'll need the whole box. I have had to use the microwave to thaw dough before, but it makes it harder to work with. The best thing is to thaw it and let it set for at least 20 minutes to reach room temperature before you begin layering it.
2.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. The best way to make the nuts is to use a food processor. However, most of my life, I couldn't afford one so I pounded the walnuts into small pieces inside a Ziplock baggie. After pounding them to itty bitty smithereens, I add the cinnamon, cardamom and salt and shake the baggie until they're well blended.
For those with a food processor, add the nuts, cinnamon, cardamom and salt and pulse them into a fine texture (it's much quicker).
4. Butter the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking pan (or smaller one if you cut the dough) with a good pastry brush (I prefer silicon as it seems gentler on the phyllo).
5. Place the first thin sheet of phyllo in the buttered pan and brush the entire sheet with the melted butter (this is the key and you will brush every single sheet of phyllo). Repeat the sheet/buttering until you have 8 sheets of layered/buttered phyllo.
6. Optional: reserve a small amount of the nut mixture to sprinkle on the top. Then use 1/5 of the mixture (roughly half a cup) to layer over the 8 sheets of phyllo. Take a moment to get it as even as possible.
7. Cover the nuts with another thin phyllo sheet.
8. Gently brush more butter over the sheet.
9. Repeat 4 more times for a total of 5 buttered phyllo sheets.
10. Repeat the nut layer.
11. Repeat the above 3 more times for a total of 1 layer of 8 sheets, then 4 layers that are nuts, 5 sheets, nuts, 5 sheets, nuts, 5 sheets, nuts, 5 sheets.
12. On the final layer you will top with 8 sheets of buttered phyllo.
13. The total layers should be: 8 buttered phyllo sheets, nuts, 5 buttered phyllo sheets, nuts, 5 buttered phyllo sheets, nuts, 5 buttered phyllo sheets, nuts, 5 buttered phyllo sheets, nuts, 8 buttered phyllo sheets. In short the sequence is: 8, nuts, 5, nuts, 5, nuts, 5, nuts, 5, nuts, 8
14. Gently cut through the layers to divide up the baklava into whatever shape you want. Triangle is traditionally, but you can make squares, diamonds or whatever size pieces you like. I usually cut mine into small portions.
15. Bake for approximately 50 minutes until the top and edges are a golden brown.
Let cool for at least 15 minutes.
While that bakes, begin the syrup.
Slice 2 strips of skin off a lemon. This isn't a zesting. You want the actual peel without any pulp.
Add all ingredients into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
Once it begins to boil, lower the temperature to a simmer for 5 minutes.
Using a pair of tongues, remove the peels and cinnamon stick from syrup.
After the baklava has cooled for at least 15 minutes, pour the syrup evenly over the top.
Uncovered so that it won't get too soggy, allow the syrup to soak into the baklava for 6-8 hours.
Enjoy!
*Should you have any leftovers, please store in an airtight container. Unrefrigerated baklave is good for a week. Up to three in a fridge.