9x13 Inch Pan Baklava

This recipe was inspired by some baklawa we had at a Taste of Lebanon festival. Since it was spelled baklawa with a "w", I had to look up the difference between baklawa and baklava. In short, baklava is Greek and baklawa is Middle Eastern. Greek baklava typically uses a honey syrup, while baklawa is flavored with rose water. Also, during my deep dive into baklava-making I found a handy visual featuring the many types of baklava. I'll spend the rest of my days trying to master them all, but for now this 9x13 Inch Pan Baklava is a good start.

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Some 9x13 Inch Pan Baklava Notes

Okay, so a basic baklava! I made it once years ago but forgot all the details so this was a fresh start. What I did remember was that I loved honey and lemon, so my baklava has both. Adding orange zest was a last minute idea, and a good one.

The hardest part was getting the syrup/butter/pastry/nut ratios right. I guess that's subjective, but I made quite a few batches before going with these ratios. The baklava is sweet, but not overly so, and holds together well. It also has plenty of phyllo, which is important for those of us who like peeling off the layers and eating them separately.

Phyllo Dough Sizes

I got a little too fixated on what size of phyllo dough I should use, plus a little confused. Many recipes say to cut the stack of phyllo in half to fit a 9x13 inch pan, which didn't make sense since the phyllo dough I was finding in the local grocery stores comes in 9x14 inch sheets. Apparently this is a recent development. Phyllo does come in 18x13 sheets, but now Athens and some other brands (Wegman's) come in a 1 pound box that contains two sleeves (8 oz each) of 9x14 inch size sheets. So for this recipe you don't have to cut anything in half unless you are making a half batch or can only find the larger size sheets.

Baklava Tips

Since I knew little about making baklava, I read every tip I could find before getting started. Here are my favorites. If you have more tips, please share!

• When you pour the syrup over the baklava, you want cool syrup and hot baklava. For this reason it's important to make the syrup first and give it plenty of time to cool.
• Do not boil the honey. Boil only the sugar and water, then add the honey and lemon after. This protects the flavor and quality of the honey.
• You'll have way more fun working with phyllo dough if you let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator and let it sit, unwrapped, for 45 minutes to come to room temperature. If you try to unroll it cold, it will most likely tear. Trust me.
• If your phyllo does tear a little, don't worry. Just lay it in the pan the best you can and butter as usual. It will all meld together in the end.
• This is a great excuse to splurge on fancy salted butter! I've tested with Plugra, Vermont Creamery and Truly Grass Fed.
• After you've assembled and scored the baklava, refrigerate it for an hour. This supposedly enhances flakiness.
• When you score your baklava, try not to slice through the bottom layer. Doing this helps prevent a soggy bottom. So they say.
• Change up the nuts. I was going for basic so I just used walnuts, but you could easily swap some out for pistachios, almonds or pecans.
• I've been freezing all the baklava, and it seems to freeze very well. You can also store in the refrigerator (though it will be a little chewy) or in a covered container at room temperature. Of all, I prefer freezing or room temperature.

Thanks, But No Thanks

Now If you just read all this and are thinking it's too much work and just want a fun, crowd-pleasing baklava themed Memorial Day dessert, check out the recipe for Baklava Bar Cookies. They're good too, and quite unique.

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