Using a piece of dough about the size of a walnut, or 1 ounce, roll the dough into a ball. If the dough is too firm to work easily, let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes or so. The just-baked cookies will be transferred onto them. Meanwhile, using a mesh sieve, dust two roasting pans or rimmed baking sheets with a half-inch of powdered sugar. Gradually stir in the flour and baking powder until dough is soft and pliable but not sticky. Add 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, the brandy or ouzo and vanilla extract.īeat until thick and creamy. Add egg and egg yolk and continue beating. In bowl of stand mixer, beat the softened butter until light and fluffy, about 20 minutes.

Nordic Ware makes sheet-cake pans that are about 17 by 14 inches and 2 inches high it's sold at retailers including Target. But do not let phyllo dough dry out, or it will turn brittle use a damp (not wet) kitchen towel to cover the unused phyllo while assembling. Any tears or wrinkles will virtually disappear during baking. Phyllo dough is forgiving, the recipe's submitter notes. The larger phyllo sheets also are available at Woodman's, with locations including Menomonee Falls, Waukesha and Oak Creek. Greenfield Ave., West Allis, and Middle Eastern grocers such as Holyland, 2755 W. The larger phyllo sheets, about 14 by 18 inches, can be found fresh, not frozen, in the refrigerator case at Parthenon Foods, 8415 W. Notes: Most supermarkets sell phyllo dough that is smaller than this recipe requires. To store longer, cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate. The baklava should stand at least 24 hours and, optimally, several days before serving.īaklava can be stored in the baking pan at room temperature about a week. Cut the zest from the orange or lemon with a vegetable peeler and combine it with the honey, sugar water and whole spices in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce to steady simmer until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Never add hot syrup to hot baklava, or cold syrup to cold baklava. Remove from oven to cooling rack. Allow baklava to cool completely before adding hot syrup (it can stand overnight). Pour the remaining butter over the scored baklava.īake until the top layer of the baklava is puffed and golden, about 50 minutes to 1 hour. To do this, use a ruler to evenly space four cuts the long way and five short cuts across to form squares, and then cut the squares diagonally in half for the diamond shape. Using a very sharp knife, carefully cut to the bottom of the pan with a sawing motion to make diamond shapes.

Using the last five sheets of phyllo, alternate the buttering and layering of each sheet until all five sheets have been used. Cover it with a single phyllo sheet, butter it, and sprinkle a thin layer of nut-spice mixture, and continue in this fashion, alternating between the nut-spice mixture and phyllo sheets until you have used all of the mixture, reserving five sheets of phyllo for the top. Sprinkle a thin layer of the nut-spice mixture evenly over the top of the buttered phyllo. Repeat until there are five layers of phyllo dough, drizzling and brushing butter over each layer of phyllo as you go. Lay one layer of phyllo dough onto the buttered baking sheet and brush with butter. The phyllo might hang over the edges of the pan as you assemble the edges can be folded over, buttering as you go. Keep the stack of phyllo dough covered with a clean, damp (not wet) kitchen towel. Mix the walnuts, almonds, ground spices, breadcrumbs and sugar together in a medium bowl.īrush the bottom of an 11-by-17-by-2-inch baking pan with the clarified butter. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Clarify it by removing white milk solids from butter, using a spoon. Makes 40 triangular pieces, about 3 inches each Angela Peterson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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