Essay On Balkava

Baklava is a simple but delicious pastry that is popular in Middle Eastern Countries. It is unclear of where it originated, but some believe it comes from the Byzantine Empire. Today, it is typically served at Lebanese or Greek restaurants. Baklava is composed of alternating layers of crispy fillo dough and a cinnamon and nut mixture. It is then soaked with a yummy syrup made of honey and cinnamon. The first time I tried baklava was when I was in high school during a pastry class. Ever since then, I have become a true lover of baklava. This particular recipe can be slightly time consuming and is of medium difficulty. The fillo dough that is used to make baklava is extremely thin and it prone to rips and tears which can make the process frustrating at times.

Roll out the fillo dough and cut it in half.
In the large bowl combine the sugar, cinnamon and cloves.
Process or grind the nuts until there are no large chunks. Combine this with the sugar, cinnamon and clove mixture.

In the small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave.
Place one sheet of fillo dough flat into the 9x13in greased pan. Using the pastry brush, brush melted butter onto the surface of the fillo dough evenly.

Place another sheet of fillo dough on top of the first buttered layer. Repeat this step until there is a total of 8 layers of fillo sheets.
Be sure to brush each layer with butter before placing another one on top.
Spoon a thin layer of the nut and spice mixture evenly on top of the 8 layers of fillo dough.

Cover the nut layer with two more sheets of fillo dough making sure to brush each sheet with butter.
Repeat steps 9 and 10 until there is no remaining nut mixture.
For the top of the baklava, place 8 more sheets of fillo dough on top making sure to butter in between each sheet.

Cut the baklava into 24 squares that are equal in size using the sharp