Greek Baklava

Name: Greek Baklava
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 (16 oz) packages phyllo dough; 4 cups pecans milled or finely chopped; Bread crumbs, plain; 1 and a half tsp ground cinnamon; 2 sticks melted unsalted butter, clarified; 1 bottle whole cloves; Pastry brush; 1 9x13 pan; 1/3 cup water; 3/4 cup sugar; 1/2 cup honey (I use wildflower honey); slices lemon, squeeze juice; 1 cinnamon stick

⚡Welderwoman⚡ @Welderwoman

My Greek Yiayia (meaning Grandmother in Greek) raised me after my mom died when I was 6 years old. She is from the Peloponnese part of Greece and she always made Baklava and other Greek foods as well. We lived in ALABAMA so she used the pecans from her pecan tree. This was a task because she gathered, cracked and cleaned all of the pecans herself and then milled them with an old fashioned hand turned grinder that she clamped to the side of the kitchen table. She made everything from scratch and I am truly blessed to be raised by her !! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ #baklava #greek

⚡Welderwoman⚡ @Welderwoman

Saved

Ingredients

For the Baklava
2 (16 oz)packages phyllo dough
4 cupspecans milled or finely chopped
Bread crumbs, plain
1and a half tsp ground cinnamon
2 sticksmelted unsalted butter, clarified
1 bottlewhole cloves
Pastry brush
19x13 pan
For the syrup
1/3 cupwater
3/4 cupsugar
1/2 cuphoney (I use wildflower honey)
sliceslemon, squeeze juice
1cinnamon stick

Saved

Steps

1

Make the syrup: Take a saucepan and add the water, sugar, cinnamon stick and lemon slices
2

Bring to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves then down to medium heat for about 5 minutes. Take pot off the heat and remove the lemon slices and cinnamon stick then stir in the honey, and let it cool
3

Make the Baklava: Mix pecans with the breadcrumbs and ground cinnamon, melt the butter, clarify it and butter the pan
4

Place ten sheets in the pan brushing a little butter on each one as you go
5

Place about a 1/4 of the nut mixture on top of the 10 buttered sheets
6

It goes like this: 10 buttered sheets 1/4 nut mixture. 5 buttered sheets. 1/4 nut mixture. 5 buttered sheets 1/4 nut mixture. 5 buttered sheets. 1/4 nut mixture. 15 buttered sheets on top
7

Carefully cut the baklava lengthwise 4 rows then cut diagonally for diamonds. After you cut all the way through, put a clove in each diamond and pour the rest of the butter all over and in the cuts. Place in the freezer 30 minutes
8

Bake at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes, depending on your oven. Then crank up the heat to 375 for the last 30 minutes. Make sure it is golden and flaky on top
9

When baklava is done take out the oven, wait 5 minutes and spoon or ladle the warm syrup on the baklava concentrating in the cuts. Remember warm syrup, hot baklava
10

Let it sit for at least 8 hours to overnight to soak up all the sweet syrup (I know it's hard to resist) 😇
11

Place in Tupperware and store at room temperature for a week, longer in the fridge (if it lasts that long) 😋ENJOY !!