Classic Greek Baklava Recipes

CLASSIC BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Thaw the phyllo overnight in the refrigerator. Then put the phyllo box on the counter to come to room temperature, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
• Put the pistachios, sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom in a food processor. Process until the nuts are finely chopped (the largest should be the size of small dried lentils), 15 to 20 seconds. Set aside.
• Unfold one pack of the phyllo sheets and stack them so that they lie flat on your work surface. Cover the top with plastic wrap, letting some excess plastic fall over all four edges. Dampen and wring out a kitchen towel and drape it on top of the plastic wrap; this will hold the plastic in place and prevent the phyllo from drying out. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Brush the bottom of a 9×13-inch metal pan (preferably with straight sides and a light-color interior to prevent overbrowning on the edges) with some of the butter. Remove a sheet of phyllo from the stack, re-cover the rest (be sure to cover the remaining sheets each time you remove a new one), and put the sheet in the bottom of the pan.
• Brush the sheet with some of the melted butter but don't soak the phyllo (remember, you'll have about 40 layers of buttered phyllo by the time you're done). Repeat until you have layered and buttered about half the sheets from the first pack-about 10 sheets in all. If your pan has slightly angled sides, arrange the sheets so the excess falls on the same side of the pan and cut the extra off every few layers with a paring knife.
• Sprinkle about one-third of the filling evenly over the phyllo. Repeat layering and buttering the remaining sheets from the first pack and sprinkle on another third of the filling. Open, unfold, and cover the second pack of phyllo. Layer and butter it as described above, sprinkling the remaining filling after layering about half the phyllo, and ending with a final layer of phyllo (you may not need all of the butter). Cover loosely and put the pan of baklava in the freezer for 30 minutes (this makes it much easier to cut the pastry).
• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.
• Before baking, use a thin, sharp knife (I prefer serrated) and a gentle sawing motion to cut the baklava on the diagonal at 11/2-inch intervals in a diamond pattern. Try not to compress the pastry by pressing down on it with one hand while cutting with the other. Not only are you cutting serving portions, you are also cutting pathways for the flavored syrup to permeate the pastry, so be sure to cut the pastry all the way to the bottom of the pan. If you have an electric carving knife, this is the perfect time to use it.
• Bake the baklava until golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely. If making one of the variations below, run a knife along the cut lines. (Both variations contain sticky ingredients that can seal the cuts shut during baking, making it difficult for the syrup to be absorbed evenly.)
• Put the sugar and 2/3 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid is clear, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the orange flower water (if using). Pour the syrup evenly over the entire surface of the baklava, allowing it to run down into the cut marks and along the sides of the pan. Allow the baklava to cool to room temperature before serving.

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.

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.

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.

HOW TO MAKE THE TRADITIONAL GREEK BAKLAVA

Steps:

• For the honey syrup: in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, cinnamon stick and orange peel and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the honey and boil for 3-4 minutes so the syrup thickens slightly. Remove from heat and set aside to let cool. You can refrigerate the cooled syrup in an airtight container for 4 days. (*If you are only making half the recipe [i.e., a small batch], make only half the syrup.*)
• For the nut filling: Place the walnuts in a food processor and pulse them a few times until they are chopped to a medium-fine consistency (making sure to not over-process them or the nuts will become a paste). Put the chopped walnuts in a bowl and combine them with the sugar, breadcrumbs, cinnamon and cloves. Divide the mixture into two equal portions; one for each of the two round pans.
• Preheat the oven to 350° F.
• To assemble the small batch baklava: unwrap and unfold the filo. Place it on a large cutting board, and, using the bottom of an 8" cake pan as a guide, cut the sheets of filo into two stacks of 8" circles (see photo). Set aside the second stack of filo sheets and cover it with plastic wrap and a towel. Brush the sides of the first pan with some melted butter. Place one filo sheet in the bottom of the pan and brush it with some butter. Repeat with 7 more filo sheets, placing each one in the pan and making sure to butter each one of them. Sprinkle ⅓ cup of the first nut mixture evenly over the eighth sheet. Layer the next 2 buttered filo rounds and sprinkle another ⅓ cup of nuts. Repeat with two more layers of buttered filo and the last ⅓ cup of nuts. Continue layering the rest 8 sheets of filo sheets until they are all used. There should be about 20 filo sheets in total, depending on the thickness of the filo and the brand. Repeat the same with the second stack of filo rounds and the remaining half of the nut mixture. (* If you are making half the recipe [i.e., a small batch], wrap the second pan with plastic wrap and then with heavy duty aluminum foil and place it in the freezer for another time.*]
• Scoring and Baking: using a serrated knife with a pointed tip, cut the baklava into small squares or diamond-shaped pieces, or, follow the star pattern of the photo. If you wish, top each piece with a small, whole clove for decoration. Bake, uncovered, for about 45-50 minutes or until the top layers of filo are light golden and crisp. Every oven is different, so the cooking time may vary.
• Remove from the oven and pour the cooled honey syrup slowly and evenly over the top of the baklava and especially over the cut lines (the syrup will sizzle). It might look like a lot of syrup initially, but it will all be absorbed as it cools down. Let the baklava sit uncovered for at least 8 hours (overnight is best) before serving. It can be covered loosely and stored for a week at room temperature.

TRADITIONAL GREEK BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Mix the walnuts, breadcrumbs and cinnamon. Butter your baking pan (large enough to lay out the pastry while lining the sides of the pan as well) and place 5 sheets of the pastry on the bottom, 1 by 1, buttering each individually as you place it on the bottom. Cover the remaining phyllo sheets with a slightly damp kitchen towel for the time being so they do not dry out.
• With a large spoon evenly spread 1/2 the nut filling over all the pastry. Cover the filling with another 3 sheets of phyllo pastry, again individually buttering each as you place it. Evenly spoon on the remaining 1/2 of the nut mixture and place another 5 sheets of phyllo pastry on top, again buttering each individually as you place it. Pat the top pastry sheets down very gently and cut away any excess round the edges with a very sharp knife.
• Cut the Baklava into triangle servings. Place a clove on every 3rd or so piece, puncturing the pastry with the stem of the clove. Bake the Baklava in a well preheated oven at 180ºC - 350ºF for 1 hour approximately or until the pastry is golden. Remove the Baklava from the oven.
• Prepare the syrup by boiling the water, sugar and juice of your preference in a saucepan over a gentle flame, stirring with a whisk, for about 10 minutes and then allow the syrup to cool. Pour the syrup onto the Baklava (cold syrup - hot Baklava). When the Baklava absorbs the syrup it is normal for the top layer of pastry to remain crispy. Allow the Baklava to cool and then knock yourself out -- the edges are extra delicious --
• *** Under no circumstances should an oven fan be used while baking the Baklava. It will burn the top pastry layers and edges within minutes.