In the realm of delectable pastries, few can rival the irresistible charm of miracle baklava—a culinary masterpiece that tantalizes taste buds with its layers of crispy filo dough, a symphony of chopped nuts, and the divine sweetness of honey syrup. This heavenly dessert has captured the hearts and appetites of people across the globe, becoming an integral part of Middle Eastern cuisine and enjoyed during special occasions and celebrations. Whether you're a seasoned baker looking to expand your culinary horizons or a novice cook yearning to impress your loved ones with a homemade delicacy, embarking on the journey to create the perfect miracle baklava is an adventure worth savoring.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
BAKLAVA RECIPE- HOW TO MAKE BAKLAVA
My family's secret baklava recipe combines layers of honey-soaked crisp phyllo pastry and a cinnamon-scented nut mixture with pistachios, walnuts, and hazelnut. Baklava is the perfect make-ahead dessert because it's even better the next day! Be sure to read through for tips and watch the video to make it.
Provided by Suzy Karadsheh
Categories Dessert
Time 1h10m
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat stove-top, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Add the honey, orange extract if using, and whole cloves; stir to mix. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and let simmer for about 25 minutes. Remove syrup from heat and let cool to lukewarm. Add lemon juice. Remove the whole cloves.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, add the pistachios, walnut, and hazelnuts. Pulse a few times to chop. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add sugar, cinnamon, and ground cloves. Mix well to combine.
- Unroll the thawed phyllo pastry and place the sheets in between two clean kitchen towels. This will help keep the phyllo from breaking while you work.
- Prepare a 9"x 13"x 2" baking pan. Brush the interior of the baking pan with some of the melted butter. To assemble the baklava, take one sheet of phyllo and place it in the pan (for this size pan, I typically fold my phyllo sheet in half, and it fits perfectly. You can also do a bit of trimming using a pair of kitchen shears). Brush the top of the phyllo sheet with the melted butter.
- Repeat this process a few more times until you have used up about 1/3 of the phyllo pastry, each layer being brushed with the melted butter.
- Now, distribute about ½ of the nut mixture evenly over the top layer of phyllo.
- Continue assembling the baklava, one sheet of phyllo pastry at a time using another 1/3 of the phyllo. Again, brush each layer with a bit of the melted butter.
- Distribute the remaining ½ of the nut mixture evenly over the top layer of phyllo.
- Finish the remaining 1/3 of the phyllo pastry following the same process, laying one folded sheet at a time and brushing each layer with melted butter. Brush the very top sheet of phyllo with butter.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the pastry into 24 diamond shaped pieces (you can get up to 36 smaller pieces). (Review the tutorial above to see how I cut baklava).
- Place the baking dish on the middle rack of your heated oven. Bake anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes or until the top of the baklava turns golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. (IMPORTANT...Because ovens vary, be sure to check your baklava half-way through baking).
- As soon as you remove the baklava from the oven, pour the cooled syrup all over the hot baklava.
- Allow baklava to sit for a few hours before serving or for at least 1 hour. Cut through the earlier marked pieces. Serve with a garnish of chopped pistachios, if you like.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 229 calories, Sugar 14.2 g, Sodium 93.6 mg, Fat 14.5 g, SaturatedFat 4.5 g, TransFat 0 g, Carbohydrate 23.7 g, Fiber 1.9 g, Protein 3.4 g, Cholesterol 15.3 mg
MIRACLE BAKLAVA
Always asked to bring baklava to special occasions, I created this lighter version to help everyone cut back on calories and fat. The layers of phyllo dough make it very flaky. Try it...you'll like it!
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 2h5m
Yield 30 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- In a large bowl, combine the wafer crumbs, sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Spritz a 13x9-in. baking pan with butter-flavored spray. Unroll phyllo sheets. Place one sheet of phyllo in pan; spritz with butter-flavored spray and brush to coat evenly. Repeat seven times, spritzing and brushing each layer. (Keep remaining phyllo dough covered with plastic wrap to avoid drying out.), Sprinkle 1/4 cup crumb mixture over phyllo in pan. Layer with two sheets of phyllo, spritzing and brushing with butter-flavored spray between each. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup crumb mixture; repeat 11 times. Top with one phyllo sheet; spritz and brush with butter-flavored spray. Repeat seven more times, spritzing and brushing each layer., Cut into 15 squares; cut each square in half diagonally. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown., Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring the sugar, water, honey and lemon zest to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cool to lukewarm. Pour syrup over warm baklava.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 154 calories, Fat 4g fat (1g saturated fat), Cholesterol 1mg cholesterol, Sodium 154mg sodium, Carbohydrate 30g carbohydrate, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 2g protein.
BAKLAVA
Provided by Michael Symon : Food Network
Categories dessert
Time 7h25m
Yield About 50 baklava
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch pan.
- Mix together the ground nuts, graham crackers and cinnamon in a bowl. Spread a phyllo sheet in the buttered pan and brush on some more butter with a pastry brush. Put down another sheet and repeat this process with 10 sheets, buttering each sheet. Sprinkle 1/4 of the nut mixture on top of the 10th sheet.
- Layer on 4 more phyllo sheets, buttering each sheet, and top the last sheet with another 1/4 of the nut mixture. Repeat with 2 more layers of 4 phyllo sheets and 1/4 nut mixture, buttering each sheet. Top with 10 more sheets of buttered phyllo, adding lots of butter to the top of last sheet.
- Before baking, cut into diamond shapes with a sawing action using a sharp knife as phyllo is fragile and will tear easily. Bake on the lower rack of the oven until golden brown, 1 hour.
- For the syrup: While the baklava is baking, combine the sugar, honey and 1 1/2 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and let cook for 10 to 15 minutes, and then add the lemon juice and boil for a few minutes longer. Remove the syrup from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly.
- Let the baklava cool slightly. Pour the honey mixture on top -- both syrup and baklava should be warm while doing this. Let the baklava and syrup cool thoroughly, uncovered. Let the syrup soak into the baklava for at least 6 hours or overnight.
BAKLAVA
Provided by Michael Symon : Food Network
Categories dessert
Time 7h30m
Yield about 40 pieces
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Position a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Combine the nuts, cinnamon and ground crackers in a bowl.
- Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with some of the butter. Layer 10 pieces of phyllo in the dish, brushing each piece with butter before adding the next (keep the remaining dough covered with a damp towel). Sprinkle a quarter of the nut mixture over the dough. Layer 4 pieces of phyllo on top, brushing each with butter before adding the next; sprinkle with another quarter of the nut mixture. Add 4 more phyllo pieces on top, brushing each with butter, then add another quarter of the nut mixture, 4 more pieces of phyllo with butter, and the remaining nuts.
- Layer the remaining 10 pieces of phyllo on top of the nuts, brushing each with butter; brush the top piece with extra butter. Cut into the baklava to make strips, about 1 1/2 inches wide. Then make diagonal slices, about 1 1/2 inches apart, to create a diamond pattern. Bake until golden, about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, make the syrup: Bring the sugar, honey and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice and boil 2 more minutes, then let cool slightly.
- Pour the syrup over the warm baklava; let soak, uncovered, at least 6 hours or overnight. Garnish with nuts.
EASY BAKLAVA
This is simple and easy. Serve it in cupcake papers. It freezes well, too.
Provided by ARVILLALAR
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Greek
Time 2h
Yield 36
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Toss together cinnamon and nuts. Unroll phyllo and cut whole stack in half to fit the dish. Cover phyllo with a damp cloth while assembling the baklava, to keep it from drying out.
- Place two sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the prepared dish. Brush generously with butter. Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture on top. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, ending with about 6 sheets of phyllo. Using a sharp knife, cut baklava (all the way through to the bottom of the dish) into four long rows, then (nine times) diagonally to make 36 diamond shapes.
- Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and crisp, about 50 minutes.
- While baklava is baking, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir in honey, vanilla and lemon or orange zest; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
- Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately spoon the syrup over it. Let cool completely before serving. Store uncovered.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 201.2 calories, Carbohydrate 17.8 g, Cholesterol 13.6 mg, Fat 14.1 g, Fiber 1.1 g, Protein 2.9 g, SaturatedFat 4.2 g, Sodium 97.1 mg, Sugar 9.8 g
MIDDLE EASTERN NUT-FILLED MULTILAYERED PASTRY (BAKLAVA)
Provided by Gil Marks
Categories Dairy Nut Dessert Bake Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur Almond Spice Fall Kosher Party Phyllo/Puff Pastry Dough Pastry Kidney Friendly Vegetarian Pescatarian Peanut Free Soy Free
Yield Makes about 36 small diamond-shaped pastries
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- 1. To make the syrup: Stir the sugar, water, lemon juice, and if using, the corn syrup, cinnamon sticks, and/or cloves over low heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Stop stirring, increase the heat to medium, and cook until the mixture is slightly syrupy, about 5 minutes (it will register 225 degrees on a candy thermometer). Discard the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. Let cool.
- 2. To make the filling: Combine all the filling ingredients.
- 3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-by-9-inch or 13-by-9-inch baking pan or 15-by-10-inch jelly roll pan.
- 4. Place a sheet of phyllo in the prepared pan and lightly brush with butter. Repeat with 7 more sheets. Spread with half of the filling. Top with 8 more sheets, brushing each with butter. Use any torn sheets in the middle layer. Spread with the remaining nut mixture and end with a top layer of 8 sheets, continuing to brush each with butter. Trim any overhanging edges.
- 5. Using a sharp knife, cut 6 equal lengthwise strips (about 1 3/4 inches wide) through the top layer of pastry. Make 1 1/2-inch-wide diagonal cuts across the strips to form diamond shapes.
- 6. Just before baking, lightly sprinkle the top of the pastry with cold water. This inhibits the pastry from curling. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake until golden brown, about 15 additional minutes.
- 7. Cut through the scored lines. Drizzle the cooled syrup slowly over the hot baklava and let cool for at least 4 hours. Cover and store at room temperature for up to 1 week. If the baklava dries out while being stored, drizzle with a little additional hot syrup.
- VARIATIONS
- Instead of brushing each layer of phyllo with butter, cut the unbaked baklava into diamonds all the way through, drizzle with 1 cup vegetable oil, and let stand for 10 minutes before baking.
- Persian Baklava:
- Using the almonds and cardamom in the filling: Omit the lemon juice and cinnamon from the syrup and add 1/4 cup rose water or 1 tablespoon orange blossom water after it has cooled.
- Paklava(Azerbaijani Baklava):
- For the filling, use 2 cups blanched almonds, 2 cups unsalted pistachios, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Crush 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads and let steep in 3 tablespoons of the melted butter for 15 minutes and use to brush the top sheet of phyllo.
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
Tips:
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients. The better the ingredients, the better the baklava will taste.
- Make sure the filo dough is fresh and pliable. If the filo dough is too dry, it will crack and break.
- Work quickly when assembling the baklava. The filo dough can dry out quickly, so it's important to work quickly to prevent it from becoming too dry and brittle.
- Be generous with the butter. Butter is what gives baklava its rich, flaky texture.
- Bake the baklava until it is golden brown. This will ensure that the filo dough is cooked through and the baklava is nice and crispy.
- Let the baklava cool completely before cutting it. This will help to prevent the baklava from falling apart.
Conclusion:
Baklava is a delicious and decadent dessert that is perfect for any occasion. With a little patience and care, you can easily make baklava at home. Just follow these tips and you'll be sure to impress your friends and family with your culinary skills.
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