You can freeze it before or after baking. The baklava is made in a
rectangular pan to get the diamond shapes. To get the diamond shape,
you make a cut diagonally twice making an X. Then you go from left to
right making up and down cuts from left to right about an inch apart.

Dave Smith wrote in message ...
Jonquil wrote:

I'm going to make baklava today. Never made it before. My recipe
calls for "1 recipe simple syrup". I'm wondering if I should use a 1
or 2 water-sugar ratio for this purpose??

And while I'm at it, anyone have a tried and true recipe for baklava?
Tried and true by *you* that is! Mine calls for the filo to be rolled
"jelly roll fashion". I've always seen baklava in diamond shapes
which I assume means it was baked in a rectangular or square pan, none
of this rolling stuff. And can it be frozen? Pre or post baking??

Any advice appreciated!

From Greek With Gusto

Baklava

Filling

2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
1cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup coarsely chopped almonds
2 tsp. cinnamon

Pastry
1 lb melted, clarified butter
1 lb. phyllo pastry
Allow phyllo to thaw 24 hours in fridge.

Syrup

2 cups white corn syrup
1 cup honey
2 orange slices 1/2" thick
1 lemon slice 1/2" thick
1 tsp. vanilla

To prepare syrup
Combine corn syrup, honey, orange and lemon slices in a sauce pan. Place
over medium heat for 5 minutes or until honey and syrup make a thin
liquid. Do not boils. Squeeze out orange and lemon slices to remove juice
and discard seeds and rind. Cool. Stir in vanilla.

To prepare filling
In a large bowl mix pecans, walnuts, almonds and cinnamon.
Cut phyllo pastry to fit exactly in pan. Cover with slightly dampened
towel.

To Assemble

Butter sides and bottom of a rectangular 9" x 13" pan. Place one sheet of
phyllo on bottom of pan ad brush with melted butter. Repeat with 6 sheets.
Sprinkle 6th sheet with butter and half the but mixture. Lay on 4 more
sheets, brushing each with butter. Sprinkle he rest of the nut mixture on
top. Layer 8 more butters sheets over the mixture. With a sharp knife
make a 1" deep cut in a pattern of square or diamonds. Sprinkle lightly
with a few drops of water and bake in the centre of the oven a preheated
to 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 and bake another
20 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately pour half the syrup over the
pastry. After syrup has been absorbed pour the rest of the syrup over it.
ALlow to rest for several hours before serving.