My baklava recipe translated to english

baklava.rst

Baklava

Syrup

• 1 l water
• 0.5 kg brown sugar
• skin of 1 orange (peeled, not grated)
• juice of 1 orange
• juice of 1 lemon

• spices to taste

  • 2 sticks cinnamon
  • 5 pods cardamom, crushed
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 vanilla pod (or extract)

Combine, bring to boil and cook on low heat for 15 minutes. Leave to cool completely.

Filling

• 0.5 kg wallnuts
• 0.1 kg rasins

Optionally substitute part of wallnuts with chestnuts, almonds or pistachios.

Grind 2/3 of nuts, chop the remaining 1/3. Add rasins.

Combining

• 0.5kg thin phyllo pastry (the kind with eggs is preferable)
• 0.25kg butter, melted

Preheat oven to 180°C.

My baking pan is ~20x40cm, while the sheets of phyllo are ~40x40cm. I folded each sheet in half when placing it into the pan. When placing, brush butter liberaly between every sheet and between the folds of every sheet.

Stack:

• 6 layers (3 sheets) on the bottom of the pan
• 1/3 nut mixture
• 4 layers
• 1/3 nut mixture
• 4 layers
• 1/3 nut mixture
• 6 layers on the top

Place in oven and bake for ~20 minutes, or until golden and crispy on top.

Take out of the oven and immediately pour the syrup over it. Enjoy the sizzle.

Leave it stand until you can't take it any more, then serve. It's better after a day when it completely soaks up the syrup.