Baklava

Baklava is a sweet pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with honey. A Greek favorite that makes everyone's mouth water. It is the yummiest and finger-licking sweet that i am up for at any time of the day. With a few ingredients it is easy to make a whole batch at your home. Everything tastes better when it is homemade. And here goes the recipe,

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz) package Phyllo dough

4 cups whole raw Walnuts

1/2 cup melted Butter

1 tsp ground Cinnamon

1 1/2 cups Water

1 1/2 cups + 1/4 cup White Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

3/4 cup Honey

1 tsp Rose water

How to:

• Thaw the phyllo dough according to the directions on the package.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce by boiling water and 1 1/2 cups sugar until the sugar is melted. 

• Reduce the heat, then add vanilla, rose water and honey and simmer for 20 mins until it thickens slightly.

• Let the sauce sit in the refrigerator until you finish baking.
• Roast the walnuts on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 mins. Let cool and finely chop'em.
• In a bowl, toss the nuts along with cinnamon and 1/4 cup of sugar and keep it aside.

• Coat a 9x13 baking pan lightly with butter and set aside.

• Unroll the thawed phyllo dough and with the nuts and melted butter ready, let's start layering.
• Place two sheets of dough in the pan, butter thoroughly with a silicone basting brush. Repeat this until you have 8 sheets layered.

• Now sprinkle 3-4 tbsp of nut mixture on top, place 2 sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. Keep aside 8 sheets for the top layer.

• Once layered, place the pan in the refrigerator for 15 mins. 
• With a sharp knife, cut the layers deep enough but not all the way through and brush the top with butter.

• Meanwhile preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Bake for 40 mins, until golden on top.

• Immediately spoon the cooled syrup all over the hot baklava. 

• Let cool completely and rest overnight before you serve.

• Store at room temperature by loosely wrapping with a newspaper.

Tips:

• Allowing it to rest for 4-5 days before serving really soaks up the goodness of the syrup.
• It takes time to get comfortable with phyllo dough. Cover the unwrapped phyllo dough with a plastic wrap and lay a slightly wet paper towel over it to prevent drying.