Shirred Baklava
Easy way to make baklava.
Servings 1 oven tray
Calories 175kcal
Equipment
- Thin, long rolling pin or a thick knitting needle
Ingredients
- 30 filo sheets
- 250 grams walnuts
- 150 grams butter
Syrup
- 400 grams sugar
- 400 millilitres water
- 1 teaspoon lemon's juice
Garnish
- 1 teaspoon ground pistachio
Instructions
Syrup
- Prepare the syrup first.
- Put the sugar and the water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Mix until the sugar is dissolved, then mix once in a while.
- When the water comes to boil add a teaspoon of lemon's juice.
- Let simmer for 5 minutes after the water comes to boil.
- Then remove from heat and set aside in a cool place, while preparing the baklava.
Shirred Baklava
- Ground the walnuts, but should not be powder like. May replace walnuts with nuts.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Grease the oven tray/dish with butter.
- The filo sheets get dry very quickly. As soon as you open the pack cover the sheets with a clean damp cloth, and keep under the cloth when you are not handling the sheets.
- Use an open flat area - a large cutting board or tray. Lay down a sheet of pastry. Sprinkle with butter, while the butter is still warm and liquid.
- Lay another sheet on top of the first one. Sprinkle with ground walnuts and butter.
- Using a thin long roller pin start rolling from the shorter side the pastry sheet until the end. If you do not have a thin rolling pin, you may use a thick knitting needle.
- When you finish rolling, before taking the sheet out. Squeeze from both sides towards the middle. The filo sheet will have a shirred look.
- Then gently take out the shirred sheet - now looking like a squezzed long cigar – on to the oven tray/dish greased before.
- Then continue doing the same steps until all the material is finished or the tray is full.
- Heat up the remaining butter again and pour it on the shirred baklava’s. Wait for 5 minutes to let the butter settle.
- Put the tray in a pre-heated oven at 170° Celsius until golden on the top and bottom. This will take around 15 minutes.
- When you take out the tray from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes.
- Then soak portions of shirred baklava into the syrup using a perforated spoon and take them out to a serving plate.
- Garnish with ground pistachio, if not available garnish with dry coconut flakes.