Savor the captivating allure of baklava rounds, a delightful confectionery that enchants both taste buds and hearts. These bite-sized treats, boasting layers of flaky phyllo dough and studded with a symphony of chopped nuts, are swathed in a golden, honey-infused syrup that renders them a beacon of decadence. Whether you seek a sweet conclusion to a memorable meal or a delectable morsel to accompany afternoon tea, these delectable orbs of sweetness are sure to captivate and transport you to a realm of culinary bliss.
Here are our top 6 tried and tested recipes!
BAKLAVA ROUNDS
In need of a sweet treat that I could prepare ahead and freeze, I streamlined and modified a recipe that I found on a website. The rounds are like mini baklavas were a big hit at the elegant tea I catered for a Christmas gathering several years ago.-Meta West, Abilene, Kansas
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 1h
Yield about 2-1/2 dozen.
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Pulse first six ingredients in a food processor until finely chopped. Set aside., Place one sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface; brush with butter. Repeat with two more sheets of phyllo, brushing each with butter. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.) Sprinkle with 1/3 cup nut mixture. Repeat layers twice. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; brush roll with butter. Trim edges. Cut into 16 slices about 3/4 in. each. Place cut side down in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan., Preheat oven to 350°. Repeat layering and rolling with remaining phyllo, butter and nut mixture. Bake 10 minutes. Gently turn cookies over; bake until golden brown, 10-15 minutes longer. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks over waxed paper., Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring sugar, water and orange peel to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until thickened, 30-35 minutes. Strain and discard peel. Spoon half of syrup over cookies. Let stand for 15 minutes. Drizzle with remaining syrup. Cool completely.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 132 calories, Fat 9g fat (3g saturated fat), Cholesterol 11mg cholesterol, Sodium 60mg sodium, Carbohydrate 13g carbohydrate (8g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 2g protein.
QUICK AND EASY BAKLAVA SQUARES
I love baklava but rarely indulge because it takes so much time to make. Then a friend of mine gave me this simple recipe. I've made it for family, friends and co-workers-they can't get enough. I'm always asked to bring these squares to special gatherings and parties, and I even give them as gifts during the holidays. —Paula Marchesi, Lenhartsville, Pennsylvania
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 45m
Yield 2 dozen.
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 13x9-in. baking dish with cooking spray. Combine walnuts and cinnamon., Unroll phyllo dough. Layer 2 sheets of phyllo in prepared pan; brush with butter. Repeat with 6 more sheets of phyllo, brushing every other 1 with butter. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.), Sprinkle 1/2 cup nut mixture in pan; drizzle with 2 tablespoons honey. Add 2 more phyllo sheets, brushing with butter; sprinkle another 1/2 cup nut mixture and 2 tablespoons honey over phyllo. Repeat layers 6 times. Top with remaining phyllo sheets, brushing every other 1 with butter., Using a sharp knife, score surface to make 24 squares. Bake until golden brown and crisp, 25-30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 1 hour before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 294 calories, Fat 21g fat (6g saturated fat), Cholesterol 20mg cholesterol, Sodium 145mg sodium, Carbohydrate 26g carbohydrate (13g sugars, Fiber 2g fiber), Protein 5g protein.
ROLLED BAKLAVA
For perfectly flaky phyllo dough, we go to Lili Fable, whose family-owned Poseidon Greek Bakery has made about 75 pounds of it a day since the '20s. This rolled baklava recipe is a must-make for a delicious sweet treat.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dinner Recipes
Yield Makes 21 pieces
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Place rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brush a 9-by-9-inch pan with melted butter. Set aside.
- Combine almonds, walnuts, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Place one sheet of phyllo on a flat work surface. Brush with melted butter. Fold the long sides in to form a 9 1/2-by-15-inch rectangle. Brush folded edges with butter. Place a second piece of phyllo over first sheet, and gather it like a curtain to fit inside rectangle. Brush with butter.
- Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture over the bottom one-third of the phyllo rectangle. Fold phyllo over to cover nuts. Brush folded phyllo with butter. Spread 1/4 cup nuts in a 1-inch-wide line parallel to, and about 1 inch from, the edge of pastry. Fold over once to cover nuts. Roll like a cigar almost to the end. Fold in ragged edges, and brush them with butter. Finish rolling, and fold ends under. Place seam-side down in prepared pan. Brush with butter. Repeat with remaining phyllo and filling, laying each roll next to the other so they are touching. Cut rolls crosswise into 21 pieces total (drag knife through a second time to assure a clean cut).
- Transfer to oven, and bake until crust and nuts are evenly golden, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven, and cool for 10 minutes. Pour cool Honey Syrup over pastry; it will come about three-quarters of the way up the sides. Let sit until most of the liquid is absorbed and nuts are saturated, about 30 minutes.
CHEF JOHN'S BAKLAVA
I tend to enjoy a generous ratio between nuts and pastry, as that makes me feel a little bit better about the copious amounts of sugar in this, but above and beyond that, I think this approach produces the best texture. You can use as many layers of filo as you want, but be careful, since too many may not cook through, and the only way to mess this up is to undercook the dough. The top and bottom layers need to dry out, and thoroughly crisp up, otherwise, once the syrup gets ladled over, you'll have a soggy mess.
Provided by Chef John
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Greek
Time 2h25m
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Place walnuts, pistachios, and cinnamon in bowl of a food processor. Pulse on and off until mixture is chopped but not too fine.
- Brush bottom of 9-inch round baking pan with melted butter. Place one round of phyllo dough in the pan; add a second round of dough. Drip about 1 tablespoon of melted butter over the top. Add 2 more sheets and drizzle with butter. Add 2 more sheets and drip with butter creating 6 layers for the bottom. (While you work keep the phyllo sheets covered with a damp, nearly dry, cotton towel to keep dough from drying out.)
- Sprinkle with 1/3 of the nut mixture. Top with a sheet of phyllo and drip with melted butter; repeat with 1 more sheet of filo. Add another 1/3 of the nut mixture.
- Place another sheet of phyllo on the nuts; drip with butter. Top with another sheet and drip with butter. Add the remaining nut mixture.
- Top with 2 sheets of phyllo; drip with butter. Add 2 more sheets; drip with butter. Top with the last 2 sheets and drizzle generously with the remaining butter. Cover pan with plastic and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Cut baklava into about 12 diamond-shaped pieces approximately the same size.
- Bake in preheated oven until browned and crisp, about an hour.
- Place sugar, honey, and cloves in a saucepan. Pour in water. Place pan over medium-high heat and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Whisk in vanilla and orange blossom water.
- After baklava has rested 5 minutes, ladle syrup over the top. Cool down to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 466.2 calories, Carbohydrate 47.4 g, Cholesterol 20.3 mg, Fat 29.8 g, Fiber 3.3 g, Protein 7.5 g, SaturatedFat 7.2 g, Sodium 138.4 mg, Sugar 32.3 g
BAKLAVA ROLL-UPS
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet with butter flavored spray. Reserve.
- In a food processor, combine almonds and pistachios. Pulse to coarsely chop. Add butter, cinnamon, and sugar and pulse to combine. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Place 1 sheet of phyllo on a flat work surface, short side facing you. Spray with butter flavored spray. Repeat with second layer. Spread 1/3 of nut mixture over the dough, leaving a 1-inch margin at the top and bottom.
- Drizzle with 2 tablespoons honey.
- Cover with a layer of phyllo, spray with butter-flavored spray. Repeat with second layer of phyllo. Spray with butter-flavored spray.
- Starting from the bottom, roll up into a thin cylinder (like a cigar) to the top.
- Seam-side down, cut crossways into 5 sections. Transfer to baking sheet, seam side down. Spray with butter-flavored spray.
- Repeat with second and third batch.
- Bake until crust is evenly golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven, drizzle with 2 tablespoons honey and serve.
TRADITIONAL ALGERIAN BAKLAWA / BAKLAVA - FAMILY RECIPE
This is the most famous Algerian 'heloua'. You will find it at all the weddings & special occasions. It isn't all that difficult to make but is a bit time consuming. It freezes OK too! To see me making this step by step with lots of photos, go here: http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=230630&start=0
Provided by Um Safia
Categories Tarts
Time 2h10m
Yield 40 diamonds approx, 20 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Take 1 mixing bowl and place the flour & salt in it. Add the ghee/oil mixture & mix, slowly adding the water. Mix well -- until you have a smooth dough, place this on your work surface - well dusted with cornflour.
- Split the dough in half. Make the first 1/2 into golf ball sized pieces. Keep the dough covered with a tea towel --.
- Take a dough golf ball. If you are comfortable using the pasta machine then just make the ball into a sausage shape and gently roll out with rolling pin to approximately 3-4mm.
- Begin passing though pasta machine on thinnest setting. NB : if this is your 1st time you can use the pasta machine on the 2nd to thinnest setting before putting it through on the thinnest.
- In you saucepan, melt your ghee on a medium heat. Brush you tray well with ghee using the pastry brush.
- Lay you first strip of phyllo pastry vertically in the centre the tray. Brush the pastry with the ghee.
- Repeat the dough rolling process. Cover the tray with phyllo, remembering to brush with ghee after each strip. You should be able to do this with 5 strips but don't worry if you use more or less.
- Turn the tray round so that you're placing the phyllo strips horizontally over vertical strips. This criss cross is very important so don't forget --.
- Continue rolling your pastry and layering the tray. Remember the ghee after each strip. Continue doing this until you have done 5 layers.
- Prepare you nut filling. Take your food processor and chop up the nuts of your choice until you have the required amount.
- Prepare you nut filling. Take your food processor and chop up the nuts of your choice until you have the required amount.
- Place the nuts in the 2nd mixing bowl and add the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla powder and mazhar - enough mazhar to make the filling hold but not so much that it's sloppy.
- Place filling in the tray over the pastry, gently smoothing it out - but don't press it.
- You now need to repeat the dough rolling, layer making stage all over again until you have 6 layers. You will need to use the 2nd half of the dough by now - just make golf balls again! Don't forget the ghee.
- When you've finished the 5th layer you can choose how to do the top layer. I always roll out one large sheet by hand by other stick to the pasta machine as a large sheet of phyllo is a bit tricky to create and handle!
- If you want to try rolling out a sheet, remember to COVER the dough, rolling pin, surface, your hands etc in LOADS of cornflour. then roll out the the tray size plus 2cm extra.
- Now you need to cut the baklawa and decorate.
- Take you knife and cut vertical straight lines all the way to the bottom. (Approx. 2cm apart)then spin the tray round and cut more lines but diagonally to form diamond shapes. You can also make squares or triangles but traditional Algerian baklawa are diamonds.
- When you've cut the shapes, push a nut into each shape.
- Brush well with the ghee and place in a pre-heated oven at 180 c for 1 hour - 1 hour 10 minutes --.
- The baklawa should be golden and now needs it syrup: Warm the honey and mazhar in the saucepan then pour slowly over the baklawa.
- Allow to sit for 10 minutes then cut out pieces and place in paper cases - preferably the metallic ones as they hold the syrup better.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 545.7, Fat 36, SaturatedFat 11.6, Cholesterol 35.6, Sodium 231.2, Carbohydrate 51.4, Fiber 3.3, Sugar 20.1, Protein 8
Tips:
- Use fresh ingredients: The fresher the ingredients, the better the baklava will taste. This is especially important for the nuts and honey.
- Don't overwork the dough: The dough should be pliable and easy to work with, but not too sticky. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour, one tablespoon at a time, until it reaches the right consistency.
- Roll the dough out thinly: The thinner the dough, the crispier the baklava will be. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about 1/16-inch thickness.
- Don't skimp on the nuts: The nuts are the star of the show in baklava, so don't be afraid to use a generous amount. A good rule of thumb is to use about 1 cup of nuts per 1 pound of dough.
- Use a variety of nuts: Don't just stick to one type of nut. A combination of different nuts, such as walnuts, pistachios, and almonds, will give the baklava a more complex flavor and texture.
- Sweeten the baklava to your liking: The amount of honey you use will determine how sweet the baklava is. If you like your baklava on the sweeter side, use more honey. If you prefer a less sweet baklava, use less honey.
- Bake the baklava until it is golden brown: The baklava is done baking when it is golden brown and the syrup is bubbling. If the baklava is not baked long enough, the syrup will be too runny. If the baklava is baked too long, it will be dry and overcooked.
- Let the baklava cool completely before cutting it: This will help to prevent the baklava from falling apart.
Conclusion:
Baklava is a delicious and versatile dessert that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It is a perfect dessert for special occasions or for everyday snacking. With a little planning and effort, you can easily make baklava at home. So what are you waiting for? Give it a try today!
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