Turkish American Society Baklava

1-3/4 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 slice lemon

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup walnuts chopped (or pistachio)
Filo Dough

1. Make the syrup first. Place the water, sugar and one slice of lemon in a pan and heat until the syrup boils.  Set aside to cool completely.

2.  Place the unsalted butter in a pan and heat until it is completely  melted.

3.  Chop the nuts.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

5. Cover the file dough with a cloth to keep it from drying out as you work.  Place 2 sheets of dough in a pan, butter thoroughly.  Place two sheets of dough again and sprinkle with 2-3 T of nuts.Repeat until all film doughs are finished.  Pour down the melted butter on the file doughs.

6.  Use a life to cut into diamonds or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan.

7.  Bake until it becomes gold in color.

8.  Take out the tray and after 1 minute pour the cold syrup down between all the cuts and over the top.

****METHOD WE WERE TAUGHT IN CLASS:

To form baklava rolls:

Take  two sheets of phyllo sheet and brush with melted butter. Using the longer side of the phyllo sheet, place a long kebab skewer (or you can also use a long knitting needle... even the back of a long wooden spoon). Overlap the skewer with the edge of the phyllo sheet... about 1/2 inch of the edge. On the overlapped edge, sprinkle with about 2 TBS of ground nuts. Roll the baklava with the help of the skewer, just don't roll too tightly. Take the roll with the help of the skewer to the pan. Wrinkle the dough off of the skewer and place in the pan. Brush with melted butter. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown... check after 20 minutes or so. You can cut the baklava rolls in 3 pieces or even in small bites.