ngredients:
400 grams clarified butter, preferably a mix of sheep and goat or cow
1 kilogram fresh phyllo dough
400 grams roasted and salted almonds (with or without skin)
200 grams walnuts
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅓ teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground breadcrumbs
For the syrup:
400 grams sugar
250 grams honey
350 milliliters water
1 cinnamon stick
1 small orange, sliced
Juice of half a lemon
Instructions:
Grind the almonds and walnuts to your desired coarseness. I ground them fairly coarsely, not to a powder, so that the baklava would keep its shape when cut into small pieces.
In a large bowl, combine the ground nuts, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and breadcrumbs. Mix well.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Be careful not to burn it. The butter will separate into a clear, golden liquid and white solids. Strain the melted butter to remove the solids. This will help to give the baklava a more flavorful and crispy crust.
Carefully spread the phyllo dough out on a large work surface and cover it with a towel to prevent it from drying out.
Butter a shallow baking dish. It is best to use an aluminum baking dish. You can easily find aluminum baking dishes of various sizes at the Evripidou market and the surrounding streets. If you don't have one, you can easily use a disposable baking dish.
Place the first sheet of phyllo dough in the baking dish and butter it well. Continue layering the phyllo dough and buttering each layer until you have used 6 sheets.
Spread a generous amount of the filling over the phyllo dough. Use about one double handful for a 25x35 baking dish.
Continue layering the phyllo dough, buttering each layer, and adding the filling until all of the filling is used. You should end with 6 layers of phyllo dough.
Use a sharp knife to cut the baklava into pieces. Cut all the way through, not just scoring the surface.
Pour any remaining butter over the baklava.
If desired, you can insert a clove into each piece of baklava. This will add a nice aroma and help to keep the pieces from falling apart.
Sprinkle the surface of the baklava with a few drops of water.
Bake the baklava for 1 hour and 30 minutes at 150 degrees Celsius with the heat on top and bottom.
The baklava needs to be baked for a long time at a relatively low temperature in order for all of the layers of phyllo dough to cook through and become crispy.
While the baklava is baking, prepare the syrup. In a small saucepan, combine all of the ingredients for the syrup and bring to a boil.
Be careful not to let the syrup boil over. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the syrup cool for a few minutes.
Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately pour the hot syrup over the hot baklava.
Let the baklava cool completely before cutting it into pieces.
Enjoy!
Tips:
For a more intense almond flavor, use whole almonds and toast them in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 10-15 minutes.
If you don't have ground breadcrumbs, you can use all-purpose flour instead.
You can adjust the amount of sugar to your taste.
If you want to make the baklava even more special, you can garnish it with chopped pistachios or other nuts.
22 дек 2023
