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Lebanese Baklawa

Rich, flaky, delicious with beautiful floral hints of orange blossom and rose.

Ingredients

For the Baklawa phyllo pastry

  • 1 pound Box of frozen phyllo sheets, 9 x 14" 40 sheets total at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (6 oz.) Clarified Butter This is the amount after you have clarified.

For the Syrup

  • 1 1/2 cups Granulated white sugar
  • 3/4 cup Water
  • 1 Tbsp. Freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tsp. Orange Blossom water
  • 1/4 tsp Rose Water This was my addition. Maureen Abood does not use it in her syrup.

For the Sugared Walnuts

  • 3 cups Walnuts, chopped and toasted
  • 1/2 cup Granulated white sugar
  • 1 tsp. Orange Blossom Water This also was my addition.

For the Toasted Pine Nuts

  • 1/4 cup Pine nuts, slightly chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. Orange Blossom Water

For the Clarified Butter

  • 1/2 lb. Good quality butter, either salted or unsalted I used Kerry Gold salted butter.

Instructions

Make the syrup in advance so completely chilled before using.

  • In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water and lemon juice and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
  • Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the orange blossom water and rose water.
  • Pour into a heatproof container and cool completely. It is essential to pour cool or room temperature syrup over the hot pastry immediately when it comes out of the oven.

Make the sugared Walnuts and Toasted Pine Nuts

  • Grind the nuts by hand or gently chop using a rolling pin and then cut with a pairing knife so most nuts are the same size. If you chop the nuts in a food processor, be careful not to create a bunch of nut dust, rather than nicely sized pieces. Just use a few quick pulses and then finish by hand.
  • In a dry pan, toast the chopped nuts over medium heat stirring occasionally so they don't burn. Add the sugar and orange blossom water. Stir until the nuts are thoroughly coated.
  • Use the same technique to toast the pine nuts. Place about 1/4 cup chopped pine nuts in a dry pan. I also added a tsp. of orange blossom water. Heat, stirring occasionally until lightly toasted.

Make the Clarified Butter in advance.

  • In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter, then turn down to a simmer.
  • Simmer the butter, keeping a close eye on it so it doesn't brown. The fats will sink to the bottom and foam will rise to the top. Do not stir.
  • Carefully skim the foam from the top as it rises. When no more foam rises, carefully pour the yellow butter into a separate dish or measuring cup, leaving the solids behind in the bottom of the pan. You can pour the butter through a cheesecloth to get every bit of solids out, but I did not think that was necessary. I also used the milk solids on toast the next morning. Very salty, but delicious.

Assemble the Baklawa

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Open the phyllo dough and unroll it on top of the plastic it came in. Keep the phyllo covered with a damp linen towel. Do not use terry cloth or you will end up with fuzzies in your Baklawa.
  • Using a metal 13x9x2 inch pan, butter the bottom with the Clarified Butter. Lay a sheet of phyllo to fit the pan. You will need to trim the edges as you go so it will fit better in the pan. I used my kitchen shears. It's ok to leave the phyllo just a whisker larger than the pan as it will shrink when baked.
  • Continue laying and buttering one sheet of phyllo at a time until you have 20 sheets.
  • Spread the walnuts over the phyllo in one even layer. Gently pack down the nuts.
  • Continue with the next 20 layers of phyllo, but on that first layer after the nuts have been added, be careful that that layer of phyllo is not torn.
  • Once assembled, brush the top with the rest of the Clarified Butter. Allow to settle in for about 5 minutes. Using the tip of your sharpest kitchen knife cut the baklawa into either diamond (more traditional Lebanese) or square shapes. Lightly score before cutting all the way through so you can see just where the cuts are being made.
  • Bake on the middle oven shelf until deep golden brown, 50-60 minutes, rotating Baklawa halfway through baking.
  • Remove the pan from the oven and immediately pour the chilled orange blossom syrup evenly over the top.
  • Let the Baklawa cool completely. I left it to cool on a rack overnight. The next morning, carefully remove pieces and plate. Keep the Baklawa lightly covered with waxed paper. It keeps for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

With this many steps, it's a good idea to read through the recipe completely before starting. You may do this by habit, but if not, with this Baklawa, I think it will help make the creation go more smoothly. 
Who am I to change up this recipe since I've never made Baklawa or Baklava, but I did add a bit more orange blossom and rose water. And I thought the toasted pine nuts would be a nice addition. I think Maureen would approve! 
HAPPY COOKING!