HOW TO MAKE GRANDMA’S AUTHENTIC GREEK BAKLAVA

Baklava is one of the most loved and well known Greek pastries, with its aromatic spices, sweet flaky dough and rich nut filling. My kitchen always smells so amazing when this starts to bake. Most people really enjoy eating baklava, but are just too intimidated to try their hand at making it. I hope this video, like my other videos, has shown you how very simple it is to put together this delicious and impressive dessert! Grandma taught me how to make many tasty Greek delicacies, and I am anxious to share them with you! Happy Baking!
Pamela



GRANDMA’S AUTHENTIC GREEK BAKLAVA
2 pounds walnuts, chopped fine in food processor
1 cup granulated sugar
2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves (approximately ¼ teaspoon)
1 box frozen phyllo- thawed according to directions on package
1 cup unsalted butter- (2 sticks, melted)
Whole cloves- approximately 50 for decoration


SYRUP
3 cups sugar
1 ½ cups water
Juice of half a lemon
2 cinnamon sticks
Several whole cloves- approximately 12
¼ cup honey


To make syrup: In a large saucepan, combine sugar, water, lemon half (after you have removed and added the juice), cinnamon sticks, (broken in half) whole cloves and honey. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat to cool completely. This can be done the night before.


Chop walnuts very fine in a food processor in batches, if necessary. Combine chopped walnuts, 1 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and ground cloves in a large bowl.

Melt unsalted butter on low heat. Open thawed phyllo and lay flat on the plastic it came rolled in. Cover with a slightly damp dish towel to prevent dough from drying out. Trim phyllo to fit 9 x 13 metal pan if necessary. With a pastry brush, brush bottom of pan with melted butter. Lay down a sheet of phyllo and brush with melted butter. Layer in this fashion until you have 8 sheets of phyllo and butter for a bottom crust. Continue layering, but now add 2 handfuls of nut mixture on top of buttered phyllo. Spread nuts in a thin layer, and once you have 3 layers, start lightly pressing down on each layer after adding nuts. Keep layering phyllo, butter and nut mixture until you are about halfway up the side of the pan.


 Finish by making 8 more layers of only phyllo and butter, ending with a good coating of butter on top.
Put pan in the refrigerator for an hour or more to harden butter before cutting. Once butter is firm, use a sharp knife and cut into small diamonds or triangles. In video, I cut into 2 ¼ inch squares then cut squares in half, making triangles. Poke a whole clove into each cut piece. Bake in a 350 degree oven, on the middle rack, for approximately 45 minutes or until nicely golden brown.



Remove from oven, place on a cooling rack, and immediately pour cooled syrup over hot baklava. Do not cover pan until baklava is completely cooled. Let pan sit overnight to allow syrup to soak into each piece. In the morning, remove 2 or 3 pieces from one corner of the pan. Prop the pan at an angle so the extra syrup drains to the empty space. Throughout the day, with a tablespoon, remove excess syrup from pan and discard. This will keep the pieces of baklava from being overly sticky and saturated. Now your baklava is ready to serve. I like to use a cupcake paper for each piece of baklava. This freezes really well if you wrap it sufficiently. Recipe makes anywhere from 40 to 60 servings, depending on the size that you cut.



For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

Psalm 107:9