Kitchen

[adoreqvc]

One of my wonderful QVC pals asked me for my personal favorite Greek Baklava recipe, and I posted it on another thread earlier today.

Since so many of my QVC pals love the Greek Recipes I post, and have honored me and told me so, I am also going to post it for them, and all my QVC pals who love Greek food, as much as we do.

I have given total instructions with step by step Internet color photographs for options to score, and use different patterns, in my Greek Baklava recipe listed below.

My Favorite Greek Baklava Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 lb of phyllo dough
1 cup of butter, melted (if pressed for time can microwave the butter, but watch it)
1/3 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon of ground clove

Syrup:

1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
Optional: If you have Rose Water handy (comes in a bottle) add a few drops.


Oven Directions:

Set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and use an inside oven thermometer to gauge the correct oven temperature, because many times ovens are not calibrated so the temp you set is not the temperature inside of the oven. (That is where an oven thermometer you hang on the oven rack, comes in very handy).

Thawing The Phyllo Dough:

Thaw the phyllo dough overnight in the refrigerator.

Processing The Cleaned Walnuts For The Baklava Greek Walnut Filling:

Finely process the walnuts until very coarse but not into a powder. You must see very tiny bits of walnuts in the mixture and you can use your food processor very carefully and slowly pule in very short bursts to achieve this, or if no food processor then place cleaned shell walnuts into a zip lock baggie and pound t o crush the walnuts with a rolling pin, or hand held meat pounder.

Add the sugar and cinnamon into the walnut mixture and combine well.

About Using Phyllo Dough Sheets:

When using phyllo dough it dries out quickly, so place a clean positioned moist tea towel or moist slightly wet but wrung out pretty well Bounty towel over the phyllo dough sheets so it remains moist and does not dry out before you finish layering the Baklava phyllo sheets.

Pre-Cutting Phyllo Dough Sheets:

My Recommendation is if need be pre-cut your phyllo dough sheets to fit your baking pan, or use a smaller pan and adjust recipe accordingly, to suit your personal needs.

If you need to pre cut your phyllo sheets to fit your baking pan exactly turn your baking pan over and measure the length and width of the inside. (If the phyllo sheets tear it is not a catastrophe, just cut a small piece of another sheet to mend and cover gently with melted butter).

Layering The Baklava In Your 9X13 Baking Pan:

Lightly use a pastry brush and spread melted butter on the bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan.

Carefully place your first phyllo sheet into your buttered 9X13 baking pan, pressing it into the pan gently so it adheres to the already brushed melted butter on sides and bottom of your pan.

Using your pastry brush carefully spread some melted butter by dotting here and there. (Do not add too much butter, do not butter the entire phyllo sheet.)

Use one hand to hold the phyllo down gently, and the other hand to carefully butter the phyllo sheet.

Continue layering the pan with two more sheets of phyllo dough, dotting each sheet with the melted butter. This will be done as you go along adding the walnut filling, in between the 2 buttered phyllo sheets).

Continue to repeat until the walnut mixture is used.

How To Properly Score The Greek Baklava Before Baking Using 2 Scoring Methods:

For Diamond Pattern Scoring:

Using your very sharp knife, make one slice almost to the bottom of the pan but not cutting into the last few layers of the phyllo dough. Cut from corner to corner. Continue cutting, criss-crossing until you have a bunch of diagonal pieces.

For Square Pattern Scoring:

You can also cut regular squares according to the serving sizes you prefer to serve.

Fancy Square Pattern Cut and Scored Diagonally In Half:

If you wish to get a little fancy cut each square diagonally in half. (That also makes for a very attractive serving and presentation).

Place 1 piece of clove directly in the middle of each scored Baklava piece.

Baking The Greek Baklava:

Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and edges appear slightly crisp. DO NOT OVER BAKE AND WATCH CAREFULLY!

Place Baked Greek Baklava On Stove Top , Score Completely Through, & Add The Hot Syrup:

Cut completely through the Greek Baklava following the pattern you used before you placed it in the hot oven to bake. (Doing this now ensures it will not break apart when taking it out to serve).

Reheat the syrup if need be so it is hot. Now drench the Greek Baklava with the syrup until it is well soaked.

Leave on stove top uncovered for about four hours so it sets.

Serving The Baklava:

Serve at Room Temperature covered well for maximum of 5 days. (Ours never lasts that long).

Freezing Greek Baklava:

You can freeze it in serving pieces in heavy duty aluminum foil sealed well, and then placed inside of a freezer bag with air removed with your hand before sealing. (We never freeze any foods baked with Phyllo Dough because we do not like the texture, or taste of baked frozen Greek Baklava, and we especially dislike any type of baked frozen phyllo dough food, but if it merits freezing do so at your own discretion.)

Freeze Any Leftover Phyllo Dough:

Leftover Phyllo can be rolled again in their packaging and then placed in aluminum foil and sealed well to prevent air entering. Then place in the original box type container, and freeze again for another use.

Enclosed below are some scoring patterns to use:

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Cut into squares then each square was diagonally cut in half

Cut into a Diamond Pattern

Cut into Squares Pattern

[forrestwolf]

Where am I missing the amount of walnuts in the recipe for processing.........

[adoreqvc]

On 2/3/2015 forrestwolf said:

Where am I missing the amount of walnuts in the recipe for processing.........

So sorry and thanks for the reminder forrestwolf.

It is 1 lb of cleaned walnuts.

[forrestwolf]

OK...cool.....I gather these are English walnuts......

[adoreqvc]

On 2/3/2015 forrestwolf said:

OK...cool.....I gather these are English walnuts......

Yes forrestwolf they are English walnuts.

[Bestdressed]

I would love to try this recipe! My DH receives homemade baklava every Holiday from his assistant. Her mother bakes the best cookies and would rival the finest bakery.

eta... what are english walnuts??

Also is it 2 sheets phyllo dough and then a layer of walnut mixture. Approximately how many layers does it take to use up walnut mixture?

[hopi]

Beautiful,

This is my favorite dessert, never ever make it, way to much work. Your's looks amazing. Thanks for sharing.

[Toppers]

Thanks for posting this and for sharing this recipe with us, Adore.

This looks so good!

[adoreqvc]

On 2/3/2015 Bestdressed said:

I would love to try this recipe! My DH receives homemade baklava every Holiday from his assistant. Her mother bakes the best cookies and would rival the finest bakery.

eta... what are english walnuts?

Also is it 2 sheets phyllo dough and then a layer of walnut mixture. Approximately how many layers does it take to use up walnut mixture?

Hi Bestdressed,

I have addressed all of your questions below:

Walnut Information:
There are two major varieties of walnuts grown in the United States—the English walnut and the black walnut. The English walnut originated in Persia (now Iran). The commercially produced varieties are nearly all hybrids of the English walnut. The Northern California black walnut is primarily used as the rootstock for English walnut cultivars.

I buy from a specialty nut store so I always buy fresh shelled (cleaned) English walnuts, sold by the pound.

If you prefer purchase from the supermarket and not a specialty nut store, then you can always buy the packaged already shelled (cleaned) Diamond Brand walnut pieces which are usually packed in a cellophane clear bag.

Also is it 2 sheets phyllo dough and then a layer of the walnut mixture? Yes each sheet is also buttered individually and placed one on top of the other, then the walnut mixture is used.

Approximately how many layers does it take to use up walnut mixture?

How many layers you will use actually depends on how much walnut filling you personally chose to use between the phyllo layers. Some like a lot of walnut filling, some like less.

(If a lot of walnut filling is used between each layer, the higher the Greek Baklava will be, and therefore less phyllo dough sheets are required etc).

I always leave the Phyllo dough on the table covered with a moist tea towel so it does not dry out, and just judge by eye sight as to the Baklava height I personally desire.

It really all comes down to personal taste, and presentation.

[adoreqvc]

On 2/3/2015 hopi said:

Beautiful,

This is my favorite dessert, never ever make it, way to much work. Your's looks amazing. Thanks for sharing.

You're welcome Hopi.