PLEASE READ THE DESCRIPTION FOR RECIPE AND VARIATIONS.
You can put whatever you want in this baklava. You don’t have to follow my recipe perfectly. Make it to your own taste. If you like ghee, use ghee. If you prefer pistachios, use them, if you prefer cashews, use them (very yummy actually), if you like more nuts, put as much as you want (just beware that there comes a point that there are too many nuts and it breaks the phyllo). If you like spices in it, then put spices. If you don’t like the spices, don’t put them. The beauty of this recipe is that it is so flexible.
The only reason I posted this recipe on Youtube, is because I have a lot of friends who ask me how to make it. I give this link to my friends when they ask me. For any youtubers out there also looking for something different than Baklava squares, this method is a lot easier to make. But just because I made a video, doesn’t mean the exact method is written in stone. Thank you all for sharing your ideas for variations. I’m pretty sure I have addressed every possible variation in this description & the original recipe is written here for anyone who actually wants to try it that way.
You will need:
For the syrup:
1 & 3/4 cup of sugar (435 ml)
1 & 1/4 cup of water (310 ml)
1 tsp of lemon juice (5 ml)
For the Baklava you will need:
1 pastry brush
9*13″ Baking Pan (3L)
1 rolling stick – about 3/4″ in diameter… I bought mine in a building box store, cut it in half, sanded, washed and oiled it…. It’s also great for rolling bread dough for making pizzas or other bread pastries…
Baklava Ingredients
1-1 lb package phyllo pastry (454 g)
3/4 – 1 lb of unsalted butter or the equivalent amount of vegetable oil. (I made this video well over a year ago, now I use mostly vegetable oil but still add a bit of butter to give a richer taste)
****6-8 cups of ground nuts – your choice of unsalted walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews or shelled pistachios. You can put a little less if you want but if you put approximately 1/2 cup – 3/4 per roll they will be very thick and tasty.
If you’re using Pistachios, you’ll have to buy the whole, unsalted, shelled nut, and grind it yourself. What I do is I buy a lot of nuts and grind them, then keep them stored in plastic or glass containers.
Directions:
Melt the butter and mix with oil, or just use veg oil. Spread it over the phyllo pastry using the pastry brush. Spread the nuts. Roll with the rolling stick. Spread oil/butter over a second layer of phyllo pastry. Roll the first roll inside the second layer. Squish it and place in the pan. Repeat this process until all phyllo pastry is used. If you’re left with one sheet at the end, cut it in half so that you can still get two layers. Once the phyllo is finished and your pan is full, spread the “clearest” part of the butter mixture over the top again using the pastry brush. You do not need to finish all of the butter/oil mixture. Bake at 350F for anywhere from 30-45 minutes, depending on the type of oven you use (convection is faster) and the pan (glass pans have a tendency to burn the bottom). It should be evenly brown and crispy on both the top and bottom.
While it is baking, bring the water, sugar and lemon juice to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes over med-low heat, then remove. Once the baklava is cooked and cooled to a “warm” temperature, cut it to bite size pieces, and spoon the warm syrup mixture over top. Top with crushed Pistachios. Wait 1-3 hours before eating to ensure the syrup is absorbed.
For a recipe of Baklava squares, Binnur’s Turkish cookbook is a great site – I made her squares and they turned out beautifully…
http://www.turkishcookbook.com/2006/10/turkish-baklava.php