Best Rolled Baklava Recipes

ROLLED BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Place rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brush a 9-by-9-inch pan with melted butter. Set aside.
• Combine almonds, walnuts, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Place one sheet of phyllo on a flat work surface. Brush with melted butter. Fold the long sides in to form a 9 1/2-by-15-inch rectangle. Brush folded edges with butter. Place a second piece of phyllo over first sheet, and gather it like a curtain to fit inside rectangle. Brush with butter.
• Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture over the bottom one-third of the phyllo rectangle. Fold phyllo over to cover nuts. Brush folded phyllo with butter. Spread 1/4 cup nuts in a 1-inch-wide line parallel to, and about 1 inch from, the edge of pastry. Fold over once to cover nuts. Roll like a cigar almost to the end. Fold in ragged edges, and brush them with butter. Finish rolling, and fold ends under. Place seam-side down in prepared pan. Brush with butter. Repeat with remaining phyllo and filling, laying each roll next to the other so they are touching. Cut rolls crosswise into 21 pieces total (drag knife through a second time to assure a clean cut).
• Transfer to oven, and bake until crust and nuts are evenly golden, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven, and cool for 10 minutes. Pour cool Honey Syrup over pastry; it will come about three-quarters of the way up the sides. Let sit until most of the liquid is absorbed and nuts are saturated, about 30 minutes.

ROLLED BAKLAVA WITH GOLDEN RAISINS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine nuts, cinnamon, cloves, and dried fruit. Add brandy; combine well with your fingers.
• Lay 1 sheet of phyllo horizontally on a work surface; brush with butter. Lay another sheet of phyllo on top; brush with butter. Halve horizontally. Spoon 1/4 cup nut filling over bottom of each stack; roll each, tightly forming long rolls. Transfer to a baking sheet; brush rolls with butter. Repeat with remaining 2 sheets of phyllo.
• Open the package of kadaifi dough, and spread 1 1/8 cups (1 1/4 ounces) on a work surface. Reseal package so dough doesn't dry out. Wrap kadaifi dough all the way around one log; place on the baking sheet. Brush with melted butter. Repeat with remaining 3 logs and kadaifi dough. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
• While pastries are baking, bring sugar and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat, and simmer 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside to cool. Let pastries cool for 5 minutes, then drizzle with sugar syrup and slice into 1-inch pieces.

YIAYIA'S ROLLED BAKLAVA WITH HONEY SYRUP

Steps:

• You will need a disposable aluminum baking pan that is 19" long x 12" wide x 2" high.
• Mix the ground nuts, zwibeck/bread crumbs and cinnamon together in a large bowl. You will need a 1/2 cup measuring cup for portioning the mixture. Keep mixture close to your workstation.
• Melt the butter and Crisco over medium-low heat and keep close to your workstation. You will need a pastry brush- 2"- 3" wide works best.
• Open the plastic covering of the phyllo and remove. Lay out on a flat surface and unroll so that the entire sheet is visible. It may be wise to cover with a VERY lightly damp towel so that it does not dry out.
• Take your pastry brush and butter the pan- keep near your workstation.
• On a clean surface, start by taking an entire sheet of phyllo and laying it out in front of you with the long side facing you. Butter the sheet lightly and then place another sheet of phyllo on top of it. Butter this sheet.
• With the two sheets in front of you, take the next sheet and place on top with the top of the sheet covering only half of the full sheets. You will have the other half hanging below -this will stay unbuttered for now. Butter the top half and then fold over the hanging unbuttered half and let it rest on top. Butter this layer. REPEAT WITH ONE MORE SHEET OF PHYLLO.
• Using 1/2 cup measure, scoop out a portion of nuts and distribute evenly along the bottom half of the phyllo ( the area where there is now 6 layers).
• Starting at the edge where the nuts begin, roll the baklava tightly so that you have a "tube" that is 19" long and about 1 1/2" wide. Place this tube into the buttered pan, placing it against the side so that there is room for the 7 additional rolls that will join it. Butter the top and side of the tube and move on to your next roll.
• Repeat all steps until you have 8 rolls that fill the pan. Brush the entire top with more melted butter. Run your hand under cold water and sprinkle the water on top of the baklava. You want some water droplets on top but be careful not saturate it with too much!
• Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F while the baklava is in the fridge.
• Take the baklava and with a sharp knife cut the top into pieces- start by "trimming" the end 1/4" then start your cuts from there.
• Each roll can be cut into either 8 or 10 pieces and each roll will need to be cut individually.The cuts should be made at a 45° angle so that the pieces are diamond shaped. DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH- you are simply scoring the pieces 3/4 of the way through.
• Place in hot oven and bake for 45 to 55 minutes- the baklava needs to be a deep golden brown before it leaves the oven.
• Allow to cool completely, uncovered.
• At this point the baklava can be tightly wrapped in heavy duty foil and kept in a cool, dry place for up to 3 weeks.
• Two days before you are ready to serve, the syrup will need to be prepared and poured on top of the baklava.
• Take the sugar and water and bring to a medium boil. Time the syrup for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 5 minutes add the lemon juice and return to a boil- time for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes add the honey and boil for an additional 4 minutes. Take off the heat.
• Using a ladle, put the hot syrup onto the baklava in an even manner, making sure that the entire pan is covered.
• Allow to sit uncovered until bottom of pan is cool, about 2 hours. Re-cover with foil and allow to sit for a minimum of 24 hours but preferably 48 hours. This allows the syrup to absorb into all of the phyllo layers.
• Using a serated butter knife, cut into pieces and enjoy. Be careful if you choose to use a sharp knife when cutting the pieces all the way through- puncturing the bottom of the pan will leave a goody mess behind!
• Variation- use 3 cups lightly toasted ground pecans and 1 cup mini chocolate chips in place of the walnuts. Omit the cinnamon but still use the 1/3 cup of zwibeck or bread crumbs. Finish pieces with a drizzle of melted dark chocolate. YUMMY!

HONEY SYRUP FOR ROLLED BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Combine sugar with 2 cups water in a small saucepan. Stir to dissolve. Add lemon juice, zest, and cinnamon sticks to pan. Place over medium-high heat, and cook to 221 to 222 degrees on a candy thermometer.
• Add honey and stir to combine.

ROLLED BAKLAVA, BAKLAVA ORTHI

Steps:

• Combine all of the syrup ingredients in a 2 quart stainless saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes. Take the saucepan off the heat, remove the lemon and spices, and allow the syrup to cool to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place the pistachios and 1 tablespoon of the sugar, to coat the nuts, in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Using the pulse method, process them until they are coarsely ground. Be sure not to over process the nuts because they will turn to paste. Remove the ground pistachios from the processor and place in a bowl and set aside.
• In a saucepan, melt the butter slowly on very low heat. Meanwhile, thoroughly combine the ground pistachios, cinnamon, and cloves in a bowl. Take 4 sheets of phyllo dough and brush each sheet with melted butter, layering the sheets as you go. Once the 4 sheets are pressed together, sprinkle 1 cup of the nut mixture over the top sheet and roll, lengthwise, until you reach the end. Keep the roll as tight as possible without breaking. It should look like a long cylinder. Repeat with remaining sheets, 4 at a time.
• Cut the roll into 2-inch pieces, and dip each into the melted butter and then place on a baking sheet. Place into the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and with a pair of tongs remove each piece from the pan, dip in the syrup, and place on a cake rack to drain. If the syrup begins to thicken, it can be reheated slightly. Serve in small cup cake cups on a platter.

EXQUISITE AND ADDICTIVE ROLLED BAKLAVA COOKIES

Steps:

• Spread out one sheet of phyllo dough.
• Keep the other sheets covered with a damp towel to prevent from drying and becoming brittle.
• Lightly brush with butter or spray the oil.
• Place another sheet of phyllo dough on top of the first sheet.
• Brush 2nd sheet with butter or oil and sprinkle the nut, sugar, and cinnamon filling lightly over whole sheet.
• Place a third sheet of phyllo dough over first two sheets.
• Brush with butter or oil and lightly sprinkle nut filling again.
• Roll the 3 sheets up tightly as you would a cigar or jellyroll.
• Slice diagonally into 1 or 2 inch pieces and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet with sides *make sure you have sides on your cookie sheet (aka "jelly roll pan").
• Repeat until all the phyllo dough and filling have been used, using three sheets for each roll.
• Brush tops of baklava pieces with melted butter and sprinkle with raw (turbinado) sugar.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven to cool. Leave in pan.
• In a saucepan heat the honey, sugar, water, and lemon rind together and bring to a boil for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Pour over cooled baklava pieces. You may have to turn them once to make sure they are completely saturated with the syrup.
• Let them stay in pan long enough to absorb the syrup.
• Eat and then serve what is left; or serve and eat. It is your choice, but I guarantee there will never be any left!
• Cover and refrigerate. These can be frozen.

LIGHTER ROLLED BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. In a small bowl, combine the pistachios, walnuts, apricots, currants, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
• On a large clean work surface, stack phyllo sheets; trim long side to measure 15 1/2 inches. Keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp kitchen towel, and then plastic wrap. Lay out 1 sheet of phyllo with long side toward you. Brush generously with butter. Top with a second sheet of phyllo; brush with butter. Sprinkle one-quarter of nut mixture horizontally 1 inch from the bottom edge of phyllo.
• Gently roll up the phyllo, brushing dough occasionally with butter as you roll, to create a long, thin cylinder. Cut cylinder in half, and place the two halves next to each other in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough and nut mixture to make three more cylinders, and arrange in same manner in pan. Using a sharp knife, halve logs again, being careful not to disturb them, making 16 cigar-shaped pieces. Bake until golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make syrup: In a small saucepan, combine honey with 1/2 cup water. Boil until reduced by one-quarter, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat; add lemon juice. Pour into a small bowl; refrigerate until completely cool.
• As soon as you remove baklava from the oven, pour cooled syrup over it to cover evenly. Let baklava cool completely. Drizzle with more honey and garnish with pistachios before serving.

ROLLED BAKLAVA: BAKLAVA ORTHI

Steps:

• Combine all of the syrup ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the lemon and spices. Cool and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine the almonds, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and ground cloves together in a bowl. Take 4 sheets of phyllo dough and brush each sheet with melted butter, layering the sheets as you go. Once the 4 sheets are pressed together, sprinkle the nut mixture over the top sheet and roll, lengthwise, until you reach the end. Keep the roll as tight as possible without breaking. It should look like a long cylinder.
• Cut the roll into 2-inch pieces, dip each into the melted butter and place on a baking sheet. Place into the oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. When finished remove each piece from the pan and dip in the cool syrup and place on a rack to drain. Serve in small cup cake cups on a platter.