April 28, 2007

BAKLAVA



OK,friends,I thought I am being a little too lazy so I decided to post the Baklava recipe today lest the week's routine work takes its demonic hold on me!

Ingredients:500 gms Phyllo dough

500 gms of mixed nuts-I used walnuts,almonds,pistachios and cashews

250 gms of unsalted butter

1 cup sugar(granulated white)

1/2 cup Honey

1 tsp cinnamon powder


Method:First thing,preheat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas mark 4.

Chop the nuts finely.You have to really chop them fine as it gives the final product a good texture.I had a few big pieces left and I did have trouble cutting the baklava where those big pieces were lodged.

Mix the nuts with the cinnamon and keep aside.

Now for the phyllo part:

Open the package and lay the sheets open.Immediately cover them with a kitchen towel so that the sheets do not dry up.Damp kitchen towels did not work for me as I had to throw away some of the soggy sheets.

Take a 9 by 13 inch pan and brush it generously with melted butter.Phyllo does not have any fat in it,so it does need the butter.So don't skimp on it.If you find that the sheets do not exactly fit your pan,just fold over the remaining part of the dough over.

Lay one sheet in the pan.brush it with melted butter,then lay another sheet.Continue till you have 8 sheets layered.Now spread about 1/4th cup of the chopped nuts on the sheets.Top with a layer of phyllo,brush again with melted butter.Layer two sheets like wise, and spread 1/4 cup nuts and so on until you finish the nuts.

Finally,layer 8 more of the sheets brushing them with butter after each layer.Take a very sharp knife and score it into diamonds or squares as you wish.make sure that the cuts go down to the base of the baklava.Then,bake it for 45-50 mins.The baklava should be a nice golden brown and crisp.

While you are baking the baklava,make your syrup.Combine the sugar and honey with the water and cook until the sugar melts.Then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 25 mins.Let the syrup cool completely.As soon as the baklava comes out of the oven all done,pour the syrup onto it and leave it to cool.Once it is cool completely,take out of the pan and serve.This stores well in an airtight box.Store it in layers.


My Notes:I halved the recipe.You can make the syrup using sugar too.Just substitute the honey with sugar and follow as usual.I made this in a 9 by 5 inch pan.Mine doesn't look all that good because my camera phone refused to comply with me that day!

BTW,Phyllo dough or sheets can be found in the freezer section of your grocery stores.A very
good thing to remember is never to cover your phyllo sheets with damp paper towels.I used a kitchen towel to cover my phyllo sheets and it worked wonderfully.

Once the phyllo is thawed,never refreeze it.It might become a soggy mass(atleast that is what happenned to a 3rd pack that I had taken out and refroze later.


I have read over the internet that you should either pour hot syrup on cold baklava or vice versa.Doing this prevents the Baklava from becoming soggy.So choose what suits you and go ahead.This is a real attention grabber.The process is a bit laborious but you will be rewarded in the end,I promise you!

22 comments:

FH said...

Looks delicious and of course,any good dessert takes time and it is worth the time!:))

Arvind gets the big pack Baklava from med. reps every Xmas,so we had these so many times!:D They are yummy.Enjoy Vini,good to see you back.

Anonymous said...

gosh...not had baklava in very long time...great recipe thanks for sharing

Viji said...

Good Post Vini. Hope you are doing well. Viji

sunita said...

Hi Vini...I usually don't mind labour as long as the outcome is rewarding and proportionate enough...your recipe does sound yummy enough to be tried...thanks...

Pavani said...

Yum.. yum.. baklava looks delicious. Lot of work, but looks like every bit of it is worth the effort. Thanks for sharing the detailed recipe.

Roopa said...

hi vini,
Good to see u back with a delicious and yummy recipe!

Coffee said...

This is cool!!!!! I am going to make this for the guests I am having over for dinner next week!!!!! Thanks dear. :)

TNL said...

So nice to see your posts Vini...love the cakes and the baklava recipe. I do enjoy that..in small amounts though!

Good to hear that Ananya is doing well with school...you must be so relieved.

take care,
trupti

USHA said...

Hi Vini,

Baklava looks amazing, with clear post...Thanks for sharing..Hope Ananya is doing good..

swapna susarla said...

hi vini
Good to hear from u.i never heard of this..will try it out sometime.

Mythreyee said...

Thats a good one and looks wonderful. Urges me to try this soon. I have done this sweet in different shapes. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

Anonymous said...

Welcome back Vini. Good recipe. My mouth waters as I read it!

Anonymous said...

Hi Vini, your birthday cakes and baklava look wonderful! I really admire all the patience you have to make these complex treats :)

Seema Bhat said...

Baklava looks delicious Vini. I have had this just once and I still can remember the taste. I just fell in love with this dessert urf sweet. Lovely picture.

Anonymous said...

Hi Vini,

Wow, Baklava looks delicious. My hubby is crazy about this.
Thanks,
Nalini

Bong Mom said...

Good to see you around Vini. Hope A likes her school now :)

Bakalava looks delicious but its a lengthy one

Anonymous said...

Hi Vini
Your effort is well paid off. Bakalava look lovely. I think priya(Akshayapatram) used the same recipe in her's too. I'm going to try these out for sure. Thanks!

Dr. Soumya Bhat said...

Hey vini,
This baklava looks awesome.Think i had it once.Wanna give a shot.Looks great.think its a promisisng recipe.Will get back to you once i prepare them.thanks for sharing

Pooja said...

Vini, Baklava is something new for me. looks tempting , should ry it some day :) .
well, jsut saw your pics of cakes u made... lovely . i think i should send u my birthdate now to get a lvoelycake from you ... :).
thanks for sharing. keep postingnice to know that your little one is happy with her routine now. she is happy , so does her mom :D.
take care
-Pooja

Sia said...

OMG!!! how did i miss this post!!! it looks absolutely delicious vini...girl u always amaze me. i cant help it but drooooooool:)

Sharmi said...

hey , first time in ur blog and loved ur recipes. I too had made Baklava once. but yours is much better. looks nice.

Anjali Koli said...

Vini I love baklava too. Good you are active on the blog front again. The cakes and the pachadi all yum and beau~~tiful.