Thursday, April 19, 2007

Baklava Recipe


Baklava Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) butter
About 1 cup of water
1 ½ tablespoons vinegar
Filling:
Melted butter
2 cups finely chopped almonds, walnuts or pecans
1/3 cup brown sugar

Syrup:
5 tablespoons water
1 cup sugar
Juice of one lemon

Sift the flour and salt in to a bowl. Cut the butter into small nut-sized pieces and add the flour. Mix the water with the vinegar and add to the bowl. Mix to stiff, lumpy dough.
Roll out the dough to an oblong. Fold it in three and press the edges together to seal. Turn so the raw edges are to the sides. Roll out again into an oblong. Repeat the folding, rolling out and turning twice, then chill for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into four portions and roll out each to an 18cm/7 inch square. Place one dough square in the bottom of a greased 18cm/7 inch square cake pan. Brush the melted butter and sprinkle with one-third of the nuts and brown sugar. Continue making layers this way, ending with the last dough square. Brush with one more melted butter and cut into squares or diamonds.

Bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (190*c/375*c, Gas mark 5) for 30 minutes or until the pastry is crisp.Meanwhile, put the ingredients for the syrup in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil until syrupy. Spoon the hot syrup over the baklava and cool.

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