Easy Honey Baklava - Vegan version included

Happy Deepavali! Wishing all my readers a glowing Diwali with peace, joy and prosperity. A permutation from the traditional indian sweets to this classic Baklava. A mediterranean heavenly nut-filled pastry is a classic Greek rich dessert pastry.

This will be the most sought after sweet that you will prefer homemade than store bought ones. Love the perfect sweetness that complemented with the cinnamon and the mellow lemony flavor. Baklava is layers of thin buttery phyllo filled with rich blend of nuts, baked and soaked in raw honey. I have tried different shapes and the rolled baklava is so much fun to make. 



Baklava is drenched in hot honey which allows the layers of the phyllo pastry to stay crisp unlike the usual simple sugar syrup version. However the natural sweetness of the raw honey was subtle, the trick was to add just 2 tablespoons of unbleached sugar to the honey syrup with no flavor compromise. Let's try and taste this truly delicious and heavenly Baklava! 



PREP TIME
Bake TIME
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Category:Dessert/Pastry
Cuisine: Mediteranian
Level:Easy
Yields: 30 nos


Nutrition Facts
Servings 30.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 130
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 8 g13 %
Saturated Fat 2 g12 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 8 mg3 %
Sodium 1 mg0 %
Potassium 58 mg2 %
Total Carbohydrate 13g4 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g5 %
Sugars 7 g
Protein 2 g5 %
Vitamin A2 %
Vitamin C0 %
Calcium2 %
Iron3 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.
INGREDIENTS

1. Phyllo dough (thawed according to the package instructions) -1 (16oz) 
2. Unsalted Butter  or Vegan butter - (melted) 1 cup
3. Almonds - 3/4 cup
4. Walnuts - 3/4 cup
5. Pistachios (shelled)- 3/4 cup + 1/4 cup (chopped for garnish) 
6. Brown sugar - 4 tablespoons
7. Cinnamon powder - 1 teaspoon
8. Raw honey or Agave (vegan)- 1 cup
9. Unbleached sugar - 2 tablespoons.
10. Water - 1/4 cup
11. Lemon juice - 1/2 teaspoon


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.Butter or oil the required baking pan.

2. In a blender or food processor, pulse the the nuts separately until coarsely ground with some chunks. Transfer them all to a bowl. Add the cinnamon powder and brown sugar to mix well. 

3. Unwrap the phyllo sheets and cut the required size of sheets according to your pan size and cover with a barely damp cloth/towel*. 

4. Work on a clean large surface, butter one layer of sheet and layer the 2nd sheet as well. I prefer 2 layers of sheets then sprinkle the filling to spread evenly. Repeat 2 more layers of buttered sheets  and the filling goes next. Repeat the layering 3 more times making sure the top 2 layers are buttered phyllo sheets.



5.Using a sharp knife you may easily cut them into squares or triangles or diamonds*. 



For the rolls, cut them into strips and roll them gently and carefully aligned. Make sure the edges are on the bottom side. 



For the wrinkled roll, use a long wooden skewer, oil it before you  start to roll it with. Once rolled completely, using both your hands hold on to the skewer edges and gently squeeze the edges of the phyllo roll to crush it and place it on the baking pan. Butter the rolls again and place it in the oven.

6. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until lightly golden and crisp. 


7. In a sauce pan over a medium heat, combine sugar, water, lemon juice and honey. Bring it to a boil stirring occasionally. Simmer for 5 more minutes and remove from heat.

8. Once the pastry is done baking, remove and pour the syrup on the baklava while it's hot in the pan. This will create a sizzling effect :) Garnish with chopped pistachios.

9. Cover the baklava with a plastic wrap and keep refrigerated for 6-8 hours.  You make store it in airtight container refrigerated  up to 2 weeks to enjoy. 


NOTES AND TIPS

1. Keep the phyllo dough refrigerated until all the filling is ready. If in room temperature for long, the thin sheets tend to break and will be hard to use. Always cut the required sheets and keep the remaining wrapped in a wax paper and refrigerate. 


2. I prefer the sharp or serrated knife for a clean cut. Gentle sawing motion helps cut the baklava easily.  



Comments

  1. The baklava looks flakey and delicious. The background looks authentic bringing out the colors of the baklava.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You must give this a try in making these Baklava's you will love them for sure. Thanks much Priya!

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  2. This post is definitely informative with your detailed description and tips. I like your presentation. Your website is very useful.
    Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete

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