Entry tags:
baklava
I made 2 pans of baklava today, half as a birthday gift for someone and half to keep for myself.
For one pan, I used puff pastry, per my old method. I used mainly chopped walnuts for the filling, with cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. I flavored the syrup with lemon juice.
For the other pan, I used phyllo dough and this method: authentic vegan baklava (the easy way).
This really is easier than most other recipes. You don't brush the sheets with oil or butter. You lay down your layers of phyllo and nuts in the pan, then slice them and pour the oil over the top before baking.
I used mainly chopped pistachios for the filling, with cardamom and cloves (no cinnamon). I flavored the syrup with rose water and vanilla. It turned out very good.
The crunchy flaky texture of the phyllo sheets is better than the puff pastry. I also like the rose flavor better than the lemon.
So from now on: I should use phyllo sheets. I shouldn't use lemon or cinnamon. (or maybe cinnamon without the lemon would be good?)
Update:
This rose-water phyllo baklava tastes like the best one I've ever made. So here are more detailed notes on how I made it:
I defrosted the package of phyllo dough in the refrigerator overnight.
When I started making the baklava, I took it out of the refrigerator to warm up to room temperature.
I made the nut mixture and syrups.
For the nut mixture, I roasted the walnuts in the oven first at ~320 degrees for about 20 minutes, until they started smelling slightly toasty but weren't yet noticeably browned. I did not toast the pistachios or almonds.
For this batch, I used 9 oz of pistachios (about 2 cups), about 3/4 cup walnuts, and about 1/2 cup sliced almonds.
I used a manual food-chopper to chop up the pistachios and walnuts.
I added 2 tsp cardamom and 1/2 tsp ground cloves.
For the syrup, I mixed 2.5 cups sugar, about 3 tablespoons rose water, about 1 tsp vanilla, and slightly under 1 cup of water in a pan.
I heated it to boiling and let it boil about 1.5 minutes (as per the linked recipe). I lowered the temperature. At that point I realized I shouldn't have added the rose water right away; that much of the flavor might have boiled away. So I added another tablespoon of rose water to the syrup, and then let it simmer for a few more minutes. I removed it from the burner and let it cool. After it cooled down, I put it in the fridge to chill.
I oiled a 13x9 glass pan. I layered the phyllo dough and nut mixture into the pan. I used about 5 separate layers of the sheets (several sheets in each layer), with the nut mixture between them. For the top and bottom, I used more sheets (maybe 8 or more) than the middle layers. I didn't count them; but there were a lot more sheets in the package than I expected.
I dabbed a small amount of water around the edge of the top layer of sheets but that was probably unnecessary and made it slightly harder to cut.
I used a sharp knife to cut the baklava into small pieces. I cut all the way through all the layers to the bottom so the oil would be able to soak down.
I slowly poured a cup of olive oil onto the baklava along the lines where I had sliced it.
I baked the baklava at 390 degrees for about 10 minutes, then at 360 for another 45 minutes until it began to get slightly browned.
I poured the chilled syrup over the hot baklava.
After it cooled some, I re-cut it along the slices. I transferred the slices to storage containers and put them in the fridge.
For one pan, I used puff pastry, per my old method. I used mainly chopped walnuts for the filling, with cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. I flavored the syrup with lemon juice.
For the other pan, I used phyllo dough and this method: authentic vegan baklava (the easy way).
This really is easier than most other recipes. You don't brush the sheets with oil or butter. You lay down your layers of phyllo and nuts in the pan, then slice them and pour the oil over the top before baking.
I used mainly chopped pistachios for the filling, with cardamom and cloves (no cinnamon). I flavored the syrup with rose water and vanilla. It turned out very good.
The crunchy flaky texture of the phyllo sheets is better than the puff pastry. I also like the rose flavor better than the lemon.
So from now on: I should use phyllo sheets. I shouldn't use lemon or cinnamon. (or maybe cinnamon without the lemon would be good?)
Update:
This rose-water phyllo baklava tastes like the best one I've ever made. So here are more detailed notes on how I made it:
I defrosted the package of phyllo dough in the refrigerator overnight.
When I started making the baklava, I took it out of the refrigerator to warm up to room temperature.
I made the nut mixture and syrups.
For the nut mixture, I roasted the walnuts in the oven first at ~320 degrees for about 20 minutes, until they started smelling slightly toasty but weren't yet noticeably browned. I did not toast the pistachios or almonds.
For this batch, I used 9 oz of pistachios (about 2 cups), about 3/4 cup walnuts, and about 1/2 cup sliced almonds.
I used a manual food-chopper to chop up the pistachios and walnuts.
I added 2 tsp cardamom and 1/2 tsp ground cloves.
For the syrup, I mixed 2.5 cups sugar, about 3 tablespoons rose water, about 1 tsp vanilla, and slightly under 1 cup of water in a pan.
I heated it to boiling and let it boil about 1.5 minutes (as per the linked recipe). I lowered the temperature. At that point I realized I shouldn't have added the rose water right away; that much of the flavor might have boiled away. So I added another tablespoon of rose water to the syrup, and then let it simmer for a few more minutes. I removed it from the burner and let it cool. After it cooled down, I put it in the fridge to chill.
I oiled a 13x9 glass pan. I layered the phyllo dough and nut mixture into the pan. I used about 5 separate layers of the sheets (several sheets in each layer), with the nut mixture between them. For the top and bottom, I used more sheets (maybe 8 or more) than the middle layers. I didn't count them; but there were a lot more sheets in the package than I expected.
I dabbed a small amount of water around the edge of the top layer of sheets but that was probably unnecessary and made it slightly harder to cut.
I used a sharp knife to cut the baklava into small pieces. I cut all the way through all the layers to the bottom so the oil would be able to soak down.
I slowly poured a cup of olive oil onto the baklava along the lines where I had sliced it.
I baked the baklava at 390 degrees for about 10 minutes, then at 360 for another 45 minutes until it began to get slightly browned.
I poured the chilled syrup over the hot baklava.
After it cooled some, I re-cut it along the slices. I transferred the slices to storage containers and put them in the fridge.