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1
Take 1 mixing bowl and place the flour & salt in it.
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2
Add the ghee/oil mixture & mix, slowly adding the water.
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3
Mix well -- until you have a smooth dough, place this on your work surface - well dusted with cornflour.
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4
Split the dough in half.
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5
Make the first 1/2 into golf ball sized pieces.
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6
Keep the dough covered with a tea towel --.
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7
Take a dough golf ball.
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8
If you are comfortable using the pasta machine then just make the ball into a sausage shape and gently roll out with rolling pin to approximately 3-4mm.
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9
Begin passing though pasta machine on thinnest setting.
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10
NB : if this is your 1st time you can use the pasta machine on the 2nd to thinnest setting before putting it through on the thinnest.
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11
In you saucepan, melt your ghee on a medium heat.
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12
Brush you tray well with ghee using the pastry brush.
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13
Lay you first strip of phyllo pastry vertically in the centre the tray.
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14
Brush the pastry with the ghee.
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15
Repeat the dough rolling process.
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16
Cover the tray with phyllo, remembering to brush with ghee after each strip.
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17
You should be able to do this with 5 strips but don't worry if you use more or less.
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18
Turn the tray round so that you're placing the phyllo strips horizontally over vertical strips.
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19
This criss cross is very important so don't forget --.
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20
Continue rolling your pastry and layering the tray.
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21
Remember the ghee after each strip.
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22
Continue doing this until you have done 5 layers.
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23
Prepare you nut filling.
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24
Take your food processor and chop up the nuts of your choice until you have the required amount.
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25
Prepare you nut filling.
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26
Take your food processor and chop up the nuts of your choice until you have the required amount.
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27
Place the nuts in the 2nd mixing bowl and add the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla powder and mazhar - enough mazhar to make the filling hold but not so much that it's sloppy.
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28
Place filling in the tray over the pastry, gently smoothing it out - but don't press it.
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29
You now need to repeat the dough rolling, layer making stage all over again until you have 6 layers.
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30
You will need to use the 2nd half of the dough by now - just make golf balls again!
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31
Don't forget the ghee.
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32
When you've finished the 5th layer you can choose how to do the top layer.
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33
I always roll out one large sheet by hand by other stick to the pasta machine as a large sheet of phyllo is a bit tricky to create and handle!
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34
If you want to try rolling out a sheet, remember to COVER the dough, rolling pin, surface, your hands etc in LOADS of cornflour.
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35
then roll out the the tray size plus 2cm extra.
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36
Now you need to cut the baklawa and decorate.
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37
Take you knife and cut vertical straight lines all the way to the bottom.
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38
(Approx.
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39
2cm apart)then spin the tray round and cut more lines but diagonally to form diamond shapes.
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40
You can also make squares or triangles but traditional Algerian baklawa are diamonds.
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41
When you've cut the shapes, push a nut into each shape.
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42
Brush well with the ghee and place in a pre-heated oven at 180 c for 1 hour - 1 hour 10 minutes --.
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43
The baklawa should be golden and now needs it syrup: Warm the honey and mazhar in the saucepan then pour slowly over the baklawa.
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44
Allow to sit for 10 minutes then cut out pieces and place in paper cases - preferably the metallic ones as they hold the syrup better.
