Easy Bake Baklava Using Left Over Ingredients

Whenever I use filo pastry I always seem to have a chunk of off cut sheets leftover and despite my best efforts to wrap the leftovers and re freeze they always seem to become brittle and useless after a while and remain unused in the back of the freezer for months!. So today I decided to turn that stack into a small portion of Baklava using household ingredients.

Note: This recipe isn't super sweet and dripping with syrup you could possibly double the syrup if this is how you like it.

  

Here's my simple recipe:

-25 off cut sheets of filo pastry (for this recipe I used a small sized stack that measured about 15cm x 20cm approx for this recipe) Just under the base of an 8" cake pan.

-1/2 cup of melted butter or vegetable oil (if using veg. oil add a pinch or two of salt)

- 1/2 cup chopped nuts (you can use whatever you have around the house ie. pistachios, walnuts, slithered almonds

Syrup

1/4 cup sugar (I used raw)

2 tbs water

half tsp of rose water (optional)

dash of cinnamon (optional)

Method

To make the syrup simply place the sugar, rose water and water in a small saucepan or skillet and let simmer for about 3 mins... the syrup should resemble warmed honey. If you have honey you could also add a tablespoon to the mixture. Then set aside

Using a non stick or lined 8" cake pan with a removable base place your first sheet of filo and brush with melted butter or oil. Then place the next layer on top and brush again - do this until you have a buttered / oiled stack of about 13 sheets. 

Then sprinkle your chopped nut mix over and continue layering the remaining sheets on top brushing between each layer with butter/oil as you did to begin.

Then bake in a moderate over till the filo is golden brown and crispy approx 15 mins.

Remove from the oven and pour over the cooled syrup while the pastry is hot. Then leave to cool and you are ready to enjoy!.

xx