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The Best I've Ever Had!!!
-Numerous Eaters Of Ben's Baklava
O....MY....GOSH!
-Numerous Eaters Of Ben's Baklava
I've Bought Baklava At A Specialty Pastry Store, And Your Baklava Is Better!
-Numerous Eaters Of Ben's Baklava
How Do I Do It? - Now You Find Out!
The Recipe
Ingredients:
For Sauce:
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup honey (preferably orange blossom, but clover works well too)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For Baklava:
1 package of fillo dough sheets
(i use athens brand available at wal-mart in frozen area)
1 pound walnuts, chopped fine
2-4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2-4 sticks of butter
you'll also need a 9 x 13 pan, cupcake papers, and a spray bottle and about two hours
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
melt two sticks of butter to start. grease bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 pan.
while i'm picking up the ingredients at the store, i buy a cheap ($1) spray bottle for the butter. this is an extreme time saver, but i have also used a silicone brush.
chop nuts in a small processor very fine. place in bowl, and coat with cinnamon.
put your melted butter in the spray bottle, and adjust the spray to a lightest spray it will do, which will still be heavier.
wet about 6 paper towels, and do not separate them.
carefully open 1 package of fillo dough (1 box has 2 packages)
work quickly, and cover fillo dough with wet paper towels in-between each usage as it will dry out and start ripping. if it rips, don't worry - you won't be able to tell!
take two sheets of fillo dough, and place it centered in the pan.
butter
take two more sheets and pace on the now buttered first layer
butter
take two more sheets and place on the now buttered second layer
butter
take two more sheets and place on the now buttered third layer
now, take a small handful of the cinnamon nuts and lightly sprinkle over fillo dough.
take two more sheets and place on the last layer
butter, and lightly sprinkle cinnamon nuts.
continue on doing 2 sheets, butter, nuts until you have used up all of the first package. don't neglect sides or corners, evenly space nuts. once finished with the first package of fillo, check supplies and refill butter or make more cinnamon nuts if necessary.
open second package of fillo dough, and continue on
two sheets, butter, nuts
make sure to reserve 8 sheets (for 4 layers) of fillo dough
on these last 4 layers, you will do butter only, no nuts
on the very last layer (2 sheets), place one sheet down on previously buttered layer, butter, and then lay the very last sheet down - do not butter the top layer yet!
now, you have finished the layers, it's time to cut the baklava. i cut into 1 x 1 inch pieces, but some people cut into diamond shapes.
i find it's easiest to use a very sharp knife, and wipe the knife with a damp cloth after each cut - this helps to not pull the tops of the baklava around.
once cut, spray tops of baklava with butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon nuts - be more generous here, as when they're done baking the pour of the sauce makes most of the toppings come off.
use a spoon and remove excess nuts and butter from the space between baklava sheets and the outside sides of the pan as it will cause the nuts to burn.
bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes - it will look golden brown when done.
-
while the baklava is baking, you now need to make the sauce that we will pour over the top when it comes out of the oven. it's important to do this right after you put the baklava in the oven to ensure your labor of love turns out great.
in a saucepan, add water and sugar and cook over medium high heat stirring until completely dissolved. then add honey and vanilla extract, stirring until mixed.
watch, and stir frequently as it will boil over if left too long.
simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, it will thicken slightly.
turn off heat after 20 minutes, and leave to cool until baklava is finished cooking.
-
after the 50 minutes, remove baklava from oven and immediately pour sauce over. it's important that you get a little on each piece's top, as it will create a shiny appetizing look. i just pour it slowly out of the pan over the tops which works great. it may look like you have too much sauce, but it will absorb in a few hours.
now, the hard part. you have to let cool completely. after it cools to room temp, you can give it a sampling. i typically pop the entire pan in the fridge over night to continue letting the sauce soak up. it also helps in serving having the baklava cold.
serve in cupcake liners -i find the foil ones work best, but i typically only have paper ones and they work fine. the only problem is that the sauce soaks through over time, so i only put them in the papers on an as-needed basis.
this baklava says well uncovered in the fridge for at least a week. i have never frozen it simply because after just a few days, it's gone!
do not cover, as it will cause the baklava to go soggy.
if you have any questions, problems, or concerns, feel free to call or email me!
Ben Mott
(315) 677-1692
[email protected]
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
melt two sticks of butter to start. grease bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 pan.
while i'm picking up the ingredients at the store, i buy a cheap ($1) spray bottle for the butter. this is an extreme time saver, but i have also used a silicone brush.
chop nuts in a small processor very fine. place in bowl, and coat with cinnamon.
put your melted butter in the spray bottle, and adjust the spray to a lightest spray it will do, which will still be heavier.
wet about 6 paper towels, and do not separate them.
carefully open 1 package of fillo dough (1 box has 2 packages)
work quickly, and cover fillo dough with wet paper towels in-between each usage as it will dry out and start ripping. if it rips, don't worry - you won't be able to tell!
take two sheets of fillo dough, and place it centered in the pan.
butter
take two more sheets and pace on the now buttered first layer
butter
take two more sheets and place on the now buttered second layer
butter
take two more sheets and place on the now buttered third layer
now, take a small handful of the cinnamon nuts and lightly sprinkle over fillo dough.
take two more sheets and place on the last layer
butter, and lightly sprinkle cinnamon nuts.
continue on doing 2 sheets, butter, nuts until you have used up all of the first package. don't neglect sides or corners, evenly space nuts. once finished with the first package of fillo, check supplies and refill butter or make more cinnamon nuts if necessary.
open second package of fillo dough, and continue on
two sheets, butter, nuts
make sure to reserve 8 sheets (for 4 layers) of fillo dough
on these last 4 layers, you will do butter only, no nuts
on the very last layer (2 sheets), place one sheet down on previously buttered layer, butter, and then lay the very last sheet down - do not butter the top layer yet!
now, you have finished the layers, it's time to cut the baklava. i cut into 1 x 1 inch pieces, but some people cut into diamond shapes.
i find it's easiest to use a very sharp knife, and wipe the knife with a damp cloth after each cut - this helps to not pull the tops of the baklava around.
once cut, spray tops of baklava with butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon nuts - be more generous here, as when they're done baking the pour of the sauce makes most of the toppings come off.
use a spoon and remove excess nuts and butter from the space between baklava sheets and the outside sides of the pan as it will cause the nuts to burn.
bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes - it will look golden brown when done.
-
while the baklava is baking, you now need to make the sauce that we will pour over the top when it comes out of the oven. it's important to do this right after you put the baklava in the oven to ensure your labor of love turns out great.
in a saucepan, add water and sugar and cook over medium high heat stirring until completely dissolved. then add honey and vanilla extract, stirring until mixed.
watch, and stir frequently as it will boil over if left too long.
simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, it will thicken slightly.
turn off heat after 20 minutes, and leave to cool until baklava is finished cooking.
-
after the 50 minutes, remove baklava from oven and immediately pour sauce over. it's important that you get a little on each piece's top, as it will create a shiny appetizing look. i just pour it slowly out of the pan over the tops which works great. it may look like you have too much sauce, but it will absorb in a few hours.
now, the hard part. you have to let cool completely. after it cools to room temp, you can give it a sampling. i typically pop the entire pan in the fridge over night to continue letting the sauce soak up. it also helps in serving having the baklava cold.
serve in cupcake liners -i find the foil ones work best, but i typically only have paper ones and they work fine. the only problem is that the sauce soaks through over time, so i only put them in the papers on an as-needed basis.
this baklava says well uncovered in the fridge for at least a week. i have never frozen it simply because after just a few days, it's gone!
do not cover, as it will cause the baklava to go soggy.
if you have any questions, problems, or concerns, feel free to call or email me!
Ben Mott
(315) 677-1692
[email protected]