BAKLAVA

One of my favorite places to eat is a small Greek restaurant in town. Every time I order the hummus with the warm pita bread and a lamb gyro with tzatziki sauce. I always make sure to leave a little room for the baklava. Small triangle of layered flaky phyllo dough filled with nuts and topped with sweet honey sauce. Baklava was one first desserts I learned to make when I first started baking. My mom especially loves this dessert she likes anything with honey and nuts. For this recipe you can use any variation of nuts. Almonds and hazelnuts would work great as well. Each time I make baklava I always try to switch up the nuts I use. The recipe below has been my favorite variation so far. Hope you enjoy the video!

Ingredients

Phyllo Dough Sheets

3/4 cup pecans

3/4 cup pistachios

3/4 cup walnuts 

1/2 cup sugar

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Thaw phyllo dough sheets. Place a damp cloth on top of sheets to avoid the sheets from drying.

3. Add all the nuts and sugar to a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped.

4. Brush the sheet pan with brown butter.

5. Add the first sheet of phyllo dough and brush with brown butter. Repeat for three layers of phyllo dough.

6. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of mixture over the phyllo and repeat with three layers brushing each layer with brown butter.

7. Repeat until the nut mixture is finished. 

8. Cut baklava into desired shape and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Brown Butter

Ingredients

8 oz. butter (2 sticks)

Directions

1. Add all the butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Continue cooking until brown bits appear on the bottom of the pan. Strain immediately to avoid burning butter. 

2. Use to brush each layer of phyllo dough. 

Honey Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup water

1 cup honey 

1/2 cup sugar

Directions

1. Add all ingredients in saucepan over stove medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves.

2. Pour over baklava.