How to make Baklava

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (Mass Appeal) - What food-lover hasn't had a craving for a sinfully sweet and flaky baklava?  West Springfield's Turkish Cultural Center is always teaching and members, Dilyara Celik and Melek Kocak are spicing up the kitchen with their take on a traditional Turkish food.

Baklava

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of chopped walnuts or pistachio nuts
• 1 package, or 16 oz. frozen phyllo dough, thawed according to package directions
• 1 cup of butter, melted or butter spray
• 1/3 cup of sugar

For the syrup

• 2 cups (1 lb) sugar
• 2 cups (16 fl oz) water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

 
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9 x 13 inch pan.
2. Combine 1/3 cup sugar and nuts in a bowl. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan.
3. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly.
4.  Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.
5.  Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
6.  Make syrup while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
7.  Remove from oven and pour syrup over top of baklava and allow to seep and saturate it well.
    

      NOTES: Pour hot syrup over cool baklava or cool syrup over hot baklava to avoid it all seeping to the bottom and becoming soggy.