Baklava - my way

Baklava1 package frozen Filo Dough (btw if you ever find Gluten-Free Filo -Phyllo, Fillo, etc- Dough CALL ME!)
4 sticks salted cream butter ( warning: do NOT use margarine you'll ruin this recipe!)
1 large bag of walnuts (typically 1 pound or more)
1 jar of Ground Cinnamon (spice rack)
1 tbsp Honey (I like clover honey, but any honey is fine)
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp Lemon Juice
Jar of Whole Cloves-
TOOLS NEEDED:Small Saucepan
Basting Brush
Nut Chopper (or food processor if you have it)
Rectangular Pan (9x13 is best)
* For the pan, metal or glass, it works either way but Metal pans crisps the baklava better in my opinion. I use a 9x13 inch metal pan. Make sure it's a pan that you do not mind getting scratched a bit with a knife. It's just one of those things that is going to happen with this recipe so be prepared.
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Directions:
1) Defrost the Filo Dough in the fridge. it should be kept cool until you are ready to work with it. I usually put mine in the fridge the day before I do this recipe.
2) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
3) Pulverize the Walnuts so they are chopped very finely. I prefer to dump my walnuts into a food processor and let it do the work. I used to chop the nuts myself with a slap-chopper thing, but it takes a LOT of effort to get the pieces small enough that way and then you are tired before you even started this recipe. no thanks!
4) Melt the butter into a liquid. I start with 2 sticks of butter and melt it in my pyrex measuring cup in the microwave. Later on you may need 2 more sticks of butter, depends on the size of your pan.
5) Coat the bottom of the pan with a layer of liquid butter. Use a basting brush if that helps.
6) Put a double-layer of Filo Dough on top of the butter.
NOTES for handling Filo Dough:
Unroll the defrosted filo dough, and carefully peel off 2 layers (together). I find that the dough is easier to work with when it is 2 sheets thick - so when I say a "layer" I mean 2 sheets of filo dough makes 1 layer. A single sheet is too fragile and hard to work with.
ALSO: The dough will most likely be too large for your pan, so you have several options here. you can lay the dough flat on the bottom of the pan starting with a corner, and then fold-over the overlapping dough - then alternate which side of the pan gets the excess dough each layer. OR in my case, I found if I just cut the whole pile of dough in half, it fits the pan exactly. Whichever works for you.
NOTE: The dough is delicate, so be careful not to tear it. Also, it will start to dry out while you work, so if you get interrupted a lot, you need a way to keep the other layers of the dough humid (not wet, but humid). I recommend wetting a paper towel, then wringing the excess water from it (so it's damp but not wet) ,and then laying that on top of the dough pile. You can also use a damp kitchen towel (a clean one).7) Baste some butter on top of the filo dough layer that is in the pan (so it is lightly coated)
8) Sprinkle approximately 1 tbsp walnuts on top of the butter. Just a nice sprinkled layer, do not worry about covering every inch, but an even layer of sprinkled nuts is what you are going for.
9) Sprinkle a layer of cinnamon on top of the nuts.
10) Top this with another layer of Filo Dough
11) Baste this layer with some butter, sprinkle on some walnuts, sprinkle on the cinnamon, add another layer of Filo dough,
12) repeat this layering method until you have roughly 4 sheets of Filo Dough left.
13) Butter a layer, then add filo dough again, but no nuts or cinnamon. Basically the top 2 layers should be just dough and butter.
14) using a small sharp knife, carefully score the dough into Diamond shapes (cut about 1/2-way down, but not to the bottom of the pan). You may have some triangle shapes on the corners and edges of the pan, and that's fine.
15) Pour any leftover butter mixture (should not be more than 1/4 cup ideally) over the top of the baklava and let is seep into the cracks of the cuts you made.
16) press a single clove, into the center of each piece of baklava
17) Put pan of baklava into the oven, and set the timer for 45 minutes.
18) Now we need to make the "syrup" for the baklava. In a small saucepan with medium heat, add water and brown sugar. Stir slowly until sugar dissolves into the water.
19) Add the lemon juice and honey to the saucepan, stir slowly. Simmer the syrup mixture on low heat while the baklava is cooking. Do not bring to a boil, just keep it warm. Stir occaisionally to make sure the bottom isn't burning.
20) After the timer goes off, check the baklava. Depending on your oven, it may take more time. Keep cooking until the baklava is lightly brown on the top, and is crispy to the touch (I just touch it with my finger to see if it's crispy enough)
20) Pull the baklava out of the oven, and let it cool at room temperature for 10-20 minutes.
21) Using the small knife, re-cut the baklava, but this time cut all the way down to the bottom of the pan.
22) Pour the syrup mixture on top of the baklava.
23) Let the baklava syrup cool in the pan for bit, then you can serve it!
24) If you are making this in advance, that's fine as Baklava will keep well at room temperature, however, do not cover it until the syrup has cooled, otherwise the baklava may get soggy from the humidity of the steamy syrup.
25) If your baklava gets a bit soggy and you want to re-crisp it, you can put it back in the oven at 325 degrees for 5-10 minutes, but be careful not to burn it. This will also dry it out a little bit, and sometimes you may want to add a little more syrup to it after this. No problem, it's a versatile dish, but just make sure to balance your re-heating and re-syrup-ing, so it's not overly sticky.
26) Pairs very well with Coffee, espresso, and/or a dry red wine.
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Variations:
Nuts: You may use Almonds or Pistachios, I suppose one could try Pecans, but they are a softer nut and I am not so sure it would taste right. Baklava should be crispy-ish.
Spices: You can use a mix of Cinnamon and Nutmeg if you like. I haven't tried any other spices, please let me know if you do and you have success with this.
Syrup: I've heard (but not tried this) some people use Cardamom and Rosewater for the syrup. I do not know the measurements, but I'm sure it is a possibility. Please let me know if you try this. I would be interested in tasting it.
Sweetener: You can also use white sugar or cane sugar or agave syrup instead of brown sugar, but I find the flavor of the brown sugar is one I like better.
Gluten-Free: I have tried making this with Rice Paper instead of Filo Dough, HOWEVER... rice paper has to be wet or damp in order for it to be flexible enough for this recipe. The problem with that, is after it comes out of the oven crispy... it does not keep for longer than 1 day. It WILL get soggy eventually, and once it got moldy - gross. So, just be aware, if you use the rice paper method, you need to EAT it the same day you make it. No leftovers. Ok?
Also Rice Paper is usually round, so I ended up using a pie/pan for the baklava as opposed to a rectangular one.

****** HAPPY BAKING! *****