Baklava

After making my southwest style spring rolls last week, I had some phyllo sheets left over and decided to make baklava. Unfortunately I had only six sheets left but I cut each sheet in half so that I could create more layers. After tasting the finished product, I wished that I had more sheets because the baklava did not have enough crunch...but that will have to wait until next time.

Despite missing the crunch, I felt that the actual filling was quite delicious and I was pleased with it. I know that a common problem with many baklava recipes is that they are too sweet. In fact, that is often the reason why I avoid eating baklava and why my mom was skeptical when I told her of my intentions to bake it. However I resolved the problem by cutting the sugar from the filling all together and instead putting it only in the syrup. By limiting the sugar to the syrup alone, I was able to reduce the sweetness of the baklava while still holding true to its flavor.

Unfortunately my desire to blog this recipe and take pictures of the intermediate steps had an effect on the overall appearance of the baklava. In between working with the dough and the camera I kept having to clean my hands and stand on chairs for a bird's eye view. By the time I was able to cut the baklava and put it in the oven the phyllo sheets on top had dried out, making them hard. Each time I made a cut the phyllo cracked and created many little pieces. I don't regret taking the pictures, but I wish I had a second set of hands there to do it so that I could focus on the recipe itself. Still, it all worked out in the end because the finished product tasted good.

Baklava
Note: This recipe is slightly different than my own because it incorporates the amount of phyllo sheets I wish I had, rather than what I actually used.

• 1 package phyllo dough, thawed
• 3 cups walnuts
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
• 1 orange, zested
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup honey

1. Prepare the filling by combining the walnuts, raisins, dried apricots, orange zest, and cinnamon in a food processor. Mix it on high speed until all of the pieces are small and uniform in size.
2. Working quickly, and with unused sheets covered under parchment/wax paper and a damp paper towel,  layer 6-7 phyllo sheets into a greased 9" x 13" pan with the edges hanging over. To help the sheets stick together use cooking spray between each layer.
3. Spray the top layer with cooking spray and sprinkle about 1/4-1/3 of the filling over the dough. 
4. Sprinkle some water over the filling and then layer a couple of phyllo sheets on top. Continue to sprinkle filling and layer sheets until the filling runs out.
5. Fold the overhanging sides over the last layer of filling and then cover the top with another 3-4 layers of phyllo. Trim the edges and then cut the baklava into diamond pieces by making diagonal and lengthwise cuts. Make sure to cut through the entire stack of filling and dough in each cut. Spray the top with cooking spray.
6. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. 
7. While the baklava is baking, bring the water, sugar, and honey to a boil and then simmer for 5-7 minutes. Cool the syrup and then pour directly over the hot baklava as soon as it comes out of the oven.