Baklava

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Ingredients:

Sugar Syrup

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup honey

1 Tbs. lemon juice

3 large strips lemon zest

1 cinnamon stick

5 whole cloves

1/8 tsp. salt

            Nut Filling

8 ounces blanched slivered almonds

4 ounces walnuts
2 Tbs. sugar

1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. salt

            Pastry and Butter

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks),

  clarified and cooled slightly

1 pound frozen phyllo, thawed (13" x 18" sheets)

Preparation:

Use a straight-sided traditional (not non-stick) metal baking pan.  Make sure phyllo is fully thawed before use; leave it in the refrigerator overnight or on the countertop for four to five hours.

1. For the Sugar Syrup: Bring all ingredients to boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Transfer syrup to 2-cup liquid measuring cup and let cool completely. Discard spices and zest; set aside.

2. For the nut filling: Pulse almonds in food processor until very finely chopped, about 20 pulses; transfer to bowl. Pulse walnuts in food processor until very finely chopped, about 15 pulses; transfer to bowl with almonds and toss to combine. Measure out 1 tablespoon nuts and set aside for garnish. Add sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt to nut mixture and toss well to combine.

3. For the pastry: Brush 13 by 9 inch traditional pan with butter.  Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. unwrap and unfold phyllo on large cutting board; carefully smooth with hands to flatten.  Cut phyllo in half to make13" x 9" sheets and trip ends to fit pan.  Lay 1 phyllo sheet in bottom of buttered 13 by 9-inch baking pan and brush thoroughly with butter. Repeat with 7 more phyllo sheets, brushing each with butter (you should have total of 8 layers of phyllo).

4. Sprinkle 1 cup nut filling evenly over phyllo. Cover nut filling with 7 more phyllo sheets, brushing each with butter, then sprinkle with 1 cup nut filling. Repeat with 7 phyllo sheets, butter, and remaining 1 cup nut filling.

5. Cover nut filling with 8 more phyllo sheets, brushing each layer, except final layer, with butter. Working from center outward, use palms of your hands to compress layers and press out any air pockets. Spoon remaining butter (about 2 tablespoons) on top layer and brush to cover surface.

6. Using serrated knife with pointed tip, cut baklava into diamonds. Cut on bias into eighths on both diagonals. Bake until golden and crisp, about 1½ hours, rotating pan halfway through baking. Immediately pour all but 2 tablespoons cooled syrup over cut lines (syrup will sizzle when it hits hot pan). Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons syrup over surface. Garnish center of each piece with pinch reserved ground nuts. Let baklava cool completely in pan, about 3 hours, then cover with aluminum foil and let sit at room temperature for 8 hours before serving.

History:

This recipe comes from America's Test Kitchen.

Arlette

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Makes 9 pastries.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

60 gr. strong white bread flour

60 gr. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

40 gr. unsalted butter, melted

50 ml cold water

For the butter layer:

125 gr. unsalted French butter, room temperature

25 gr. strong white bread flour

25 gr. all-purpose flour

For the filling:

50 gr. granulated sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Preparation:

Put the flours, salt, butter and cold water in a bowl and gently mix to form an even dough with your fingers.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth.  Shape the dough into a 5 inch square, wrap in cling wrap and chill for an hour or freeze for 20-30 minutes. 

For the butter layer, cream the butter and flours together using an electric mixer.  Sandwich the mixture between two sheets of cling wrap and roll out to a rectangle (the same width as the dough) but twice as long 5 inch by 10 inch.  Chill in the fridge for 25 minutes.

Unwrap the chilled dough and butter layer.   Place the chilled butter sheet, short end facing towards you on a lightly floured surface and place the square of dough in the center of the butter sheet.  Make sure it is positioned neatly and covers almost to the edges.  Lift the top of the exposed butter sheet and fold it down over the dough, then fold the exposed butter sheet at the top, so the dough is completely enclosed in the butter sheet.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, short end towards you.  Roll out to a 6 inch by 12 inch rectangle, keeping the edges as even as possible.  Fold the top quarter down and the bottom quarter up to meet in the center.  Then fold the dough in half along the center line.  This is called a book turn.  Wrap the dough in cling wrap and chill for 25 minutes. 

Remove the dough from the fridge and make another book turn.  Wrap the dough in cling wrap and chill for 25 minutes.

For the filling, mix the granulated sugar and the cinnamon together in a bowl.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a rectangle as before and sprinkle over the sugar.

Make another book turn to incorporate the sugar, then roll out the pastry to 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick, to a rectangle 5 inch by 8 inch.  Roll up the pastry from the short end like a Swiss roll.  Wrap in cling wrap and chill for 25 minutes.

Preheat the Convection oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone sheets. 

Trim the ends of the roll and cut into nine 1/2 inch thick slices with a very sharp knife, dental floss or spectra fishing line.  Dust the work surface heavily with confectioner's sugar and roll each piece of dough out very thinly to an oval (1/8 inch), turning to coat in the sugar and to prevent sticking.  Place the pastries on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 5 to10 minutes or until pastry is beginning to crisp.  Turn pastry over and cook another 5 to 10 minutes (2 minutes at a time) or until golden brown.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

History:

This recipe comes from the Great British Bake Off.