Recipe: Baklava

Baklava
rec.food.cooking/Sharon Eikenberry/1994

I recently served this to a fellow from Greece. He said it was "just like Mom's."

3/4 lb. walnuts, finely chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
2 lb. phyllo dough
3/4 lb. butter, melted

3/4 cups water
2 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cups honey

Mix finely chopped walnuts with cinnamon. Coat a baking sheet with butter.

Do 8 times:
Place a sheet of phyllo dough in pan.
Brush butter over sheet of dough.

Until out of nut mixture, do:
Sprinkle 1/4 cup of nut mixture on top.
Place a sheet of phyllo dough in pan.
Brush butter over sheet of dough.
Place another sheet of dough in pan.
Brush butter over sheet of dough.

Do 8 times:
Place a sheet of phyllo dough in pan.
Brush butter over sheet of dough.

You should now have ten sheets of buttered dough on top.

With a sharp knife, neaten the edges. Cut into diamonds by first cutting into squares, then cutting each square in half.

Bake at 275 degrees for 2 hours.

While baking, combine water, sugar, and juice. Bring to a boil, then simmer for ten minutes. Add honey. Cool mixture in refrigerator.

When the 2 hours is up, pour the cold liquid over the hot pastry. Cool for at least 4 hours before serving.