Syrup
4 cups water
3 cups sugar
1 stick cinnamon
juice of 1 lemon and rind
Boil, reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for about 35 minutes, until syrup is thickened. Set aside and cover with top of pot. Cool Syrup. Now you can prepare baklava.
Baklava
2 pounds phyllo dough number 4
2 pounds unsalted butter
4 pounds ground walnuts
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. clove
In a large bowl, mix ground nuts, with spices and sugar. Set aside.
In a sauce pot melt butter. Set aside. Unwrap one pound of phyllo at a time, do this gently. Place a damp cloth on top of phyllo to keep moist. This is important do not skip this step.
Take a total of 5 sheets of pastry for each roll. Butter each one, one at time placing another sheet on top of the last one you just buttered. Sprinkle about 1 cup of nut mixture over the 5 sheets of layered buttered phyllo. Roll up jelly roll style, from the longest side. Roll tightly. Cut each roll about 1 inch thick with a sharp serrated knife. Place in a buttered pan. I use 10x15. Continue this until you use all your sheets of phyllo and your pan is filled.
Pour remaining melted butter on top of baklava. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, pour cooled syrup over very hot baklava. Set aside to cool. Keep covered with a sheet of foil when cooled completely in a dry place. Last for weeks. Makes about 50 pieces.
Special note: You can change up the flavors. Add sweetened ground coconut, mini chocolate chips, different nuts, dried chopped up fine fruits, ex: apricots, dates or cranberries. Can use orange rind and orange juice instead of lemon. Have fun!
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