Gretchen's Baklava Recipe FAQ Gretchen's Baklava Recipe FAQQuestion: "Hi, I just wanted to let you know I used your recipe to make Baklava for Easter and it was so easy to make and came out sooooo good! I'm newly married and I'm trying to make some traditions for me during the holidays. My mom loves baklava and couldn't believe that I made it. She thought I bought it! I also made another tray for work and my co-workers also loved it! Do have any other recipes up on the web I could try? Once again thanks for such an easy and great recipe!! Kim"
Answer: Good for you! Baklava is impressive, but really not that hard to make. Now that you have that down, yes I do have another phyllo dough you should try called Spanakopitta (Spinach Pie). It’s another greek dish with spinach and feta cheese. You can find it with the rest of my recipes on the web: http://myweb.cableone.net/gob/Recipes/
Question: "Hi followed your recipe and it came out a treat, thanks for sharing it with us, just wondered How long can you keep Baklava for after it has been made... and what is the best way to store it. Many thanks, Conrad"
Answer: As I have mentioned you should make baklava at least 24 hours ahead of time because he longer you let the Baklava sit, the better it gets. I think the longest I've kept baklava before it was eaten was about a week and a half. That has more to do with all the pathetic whining going on in my family, no science. Let me know if someone has an answer! I store the baklava in the pan I cook in it. I have about 6-8 of the right sized bakeing pans. Make sure the pan you use won't rust otherwise you'll end up with rusty tasting baklava - yuck! I alternate the pans in a tower when I'm mass producing, then use a long chopstick or spoon across the top then lightly cover with newspaper or waxed paper to keep dust off of it. I also took a pan of baklava on a rafting trip. For that I used a pan that has a hard domed plastic cover and put it in the bottom of our dry box. I wondered if it would get too moist, but it was just fine after 5 days.
Question: "Hi Gretchen, I must have been far too generous with the butter, as I used about 3/4 C. more than the recipe calls for. I hope that, other than having even more cholesterol & wonderful butter flavor, it will be OK? I'll let you know."
Answer: Yup, I've had this happen too. Make sure you have extra on hand. Doesn't seem to make a big impact eitherway though.
Question "Hi, I have not made before, but my husband's birthday is in June and Baklava is his very favorite dessert. I am having a pool party for him and there will be about 40 people there, so need to make a lot of food in advance. I have already started. I told him it was because we have so many people over in the summer to use the pool and I spend so much time preparing food in the hot weather and now i want to be smart and prepare ahead and freeze.....so two questions...does it freeze well and if cut small, how many will this recipe feed? ( am thinking of about 2" square) I love that you have pictures and such detail. I am an experienced cook but when you try a brand new kind of cooking for the first time, and it's your hubby's favorite, it has to be perfect the first time!! THANKS!! Diane"
Answer: Doing fairly small pieces, I get about 35 pieces. I would think about 20 pieces for more generous pieces. Also, you end up with a fair amount of ugly corner sections (perfect for sampling!). Be sure to hide some for your Husband to have after the party! Freezing -- I’ve never tried it. I normally make it at least a week a head of time. Letting it sit for 2 weeks would probably be fine.
Question: "Hi, I was wondering if you can subistute the walnuts with something else. I am allergic to them. Thanks in advance. Leah"
Answer: I know I’ve seen baklava at least partially made with pistashio’s. But I haven’t experimented. I heard from Ahsan who says "I enjoyed your web page. I have been making Baklava for years and have always used pistachio/almond mix instead of walnuts. The vast majority seem to really prefer this over the walnuts!" I'll have to give it a try too!
I got this diagram from Jeremy who has tips below about putting butter in a spray bottle. This is what happens when a mathematician cooks!!! Jeremy made this nice diagram -- I added the numbers. If you are right-handed look at the top diagram, left-handers, look at the bottom. Regardless if you are right or left-handed, cut 4 even horizontal rows (Jeremy said "I cut it in half and then each in half again"). Next cut starting at 1. Remember don't go directly to the corner. Jeremy measures in from the opposite corner about 3 inches, then keeps the rest of the lines parallel. Cut from 2, then 3, then 4. Here's his nifty trick. Rotate the pan around 180 degrees. This will move the already cut lines to where the red lines are, then you can start over with 1 - 4.
Can't cut a straight line? One way to keep your lines parallel is on your first cut, use a ruler. On the other cuts, fold then tape a piece of paper on your knife to use as a guide. It looks silly, but works pretty nice!
The way I teach people to keep track of how many layers they want is to have them look at one of their hands. Your fingers represent the layers of phyllo dough, the space in between each finger is the nut layer. 5 layers of phyllo, 4 layers of nuts!
I have gotten a number of questions about pan sizes. The recipe used to say to use a Jelly Roll Pan (15.5" x 10.5" x 1"). A number of people noticed that I was actually using a 10x14x2" cake pan. Doesn't seem to matter too much. I've used glass dishes and metal and a variety of sizes. It does need to be at least an inch or more deep.
I was teaching a group to make baklava and noticed when it came to baking that my friend cooks everything on the bottom shelf of her oven. This was to help cakes bake evenly if I remember right. However, what we learned was that the baklava didn't brown up like it should. Use the top shelf when possible. When I have move than one pan of baklava in the oven, I will rotate them, so that they both spend time on the top shelf.
"Hello! My name is Cydney and this summer I came across your Baklava recipe online. I made it and loved it sooo much I centered my whole 4-H project (Passport to Foreign Cookery) around it. The Baklava was the dish I entered into district competition and won Champion with... Winning district let me continue on to state, and I also won Champion for state!! I just wanted to say THANK YOU for putting your delicious recipe online for everyone to use and also that everyone I made the dish for said it was delicious!"
"Thanks for your recipe for baklava. I had some chain baklava at our state fair and it was so bland and stale that I made [your recipe] for friends and it went over really well this last weekend. A couple of things I did that worked well that saved me time and effort: Jeremy
"Hi Gretchen, I love cooking, even though its just been less than two years for me to trying my hand on it. I got married and my husband loves to eat different kind of foods. Baklava is the first Middle Eastern dish I have ever prepared and my husband liked it too much. I am going to take it to for my inlaws too next time I will visit them. I am sure, they will enjoy it too. Thanks a lot. Regards, Monica"
"Hi Gretchen, I wanted you to know that the baklava I made from your recipe and took to the Greek themed party on Saturday was a terrific hit. Some folks ate 2 or 3 of the delightful dessert. Since this was the first time I have ever made baklava, I was very happy to find that party people were telling me that it was the best baklava they have ever had. The crunchy texture of the layers of phyllo and the more moist layers of walnut along with the honey taste was outstanding. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Carole"
"Gretchen, I just wanted to say a huge "THANKS" for posting this recipe on the internet. I have only attempted to make baklava once in my life, and it seemed so time consuming that I have never done it since. I happened across this recipe today, and couldn't resist. I too, am amazed at how easy it seemed. My whole family will enjoy it at the end of the week when we go to the Wisconsin Dells for a Spring Break vacation. The only problem I may have is seeing if they will leave it alone until then! thanks again, Sandi"
"Gretchen, Thank you for your wonderful Baklava and Spanikopita recipes. I tried both and shared the results with friends at work. The baklava tastes better than the kind you get at restaurants. I got a chance to age the baklava for only a day before sharing it at work. Everyone was so impressed that they want to try out the recipe, themselves. There has been a run on phyllo dough at the local Walmart. The spanikopita is also better the longer it stays in the refrigerator and I like it best when it's served cold. Attached are some pictures of my efforts. Thanks again, David Orlando, Florida."
As you can see, baklava is REALLY good and isn't hard to make. You should be warned that people may expect you to make it... A LOT!!! My husband has a Christmas cookie exchange at work that I make baklava for. One year I was extra busy and decided that I wouldn't participate. Much to my surprise, his employees about cancelled the whole cookie exchange if I didn't participate! Expectation... it will be there!!! You've been warned!
I've also gotten mail from school kids who've made the baklava for culture awareness events. One person made a pan for a fundraising auction and earned $150 for their Baklava!!! I hope you enjoy it as much!!! Gretchen
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