Greek Baklava
Greek Baklava
Ingredients
40 sheets filo/phyllo pastry (2 x 375g or 1 x 1lb pack, Note 1 for pack sizes)
500g / 1 lb walnuts (other nuts Note 2)
285 g / 10 oz unsalted butter , melted and slightly cooled
1 tsp cinnamon powder
SYRUP:
1 cup / 200g white sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup / 185 ml water
1/2 cup / 170 g honey
Instructions
You will need a 23 x 33 cm / 9 x 13" baking pan.
PHYLLO:
For best results, thaw phyllo pastry overnight in the fridge (even if the pack says otherwise) then take out of the fridge 30 minutes prior.
Cut phyllo to the size of the baking pan. Keep pastry covered with a damp tea towel at all times.
NUTS:
Place nuts and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse 15 times or until fine crumbs - don't let it turn into powder.
ASSEMBLE BAKLAVA:
Preheat oven to 160C / 325F.
Base: Brush base of pan with butter. Lay over one sheet of phyllo. Brush with butter. Repeat to use 10 sheets, brushing every single sheet with butter. Scatter over 3/4 cup walnuts.
Mid layers: Cover with 5 sheets of phyllo, brushing every sheet with butter. Top with 3/4 cup walnuts. Repeat 3 more times.
Top: Cover with 10 sheets of phyllo, brushing every sheet with butter, including the final layer.
Cut the baklava into 4 long strips, then cut on the diagonal to make diamonds. (Note 3)
Bake for 1 hour - 1 hr 15 minutes until golden brown. Meanwhile, make syrup (needs time to cool)
SYRUP:
Place ingredients in a saucepan over medium high heat.
Bring to a simmer, stir to dissolve sugar.
Lower heat to medium and simmer for 3 minutes, remove from heat and cool.
Remove from oven and immediately pour syrup evenly over it.
Leave to soak for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
Check to ensure each piece is cut all the way through, then serve. Keeps for a week!
NOTES:
1. Phyllo / Filo pastry: Comes in different pack sizes and sheet numbers depending on brand. Do not fret too if you are slightly short - just reduce sheets in each layer / use off cuts.
2. Different Nut options - Baklava is made with a variety of nuts across regions and countries, the most common being walnuts, pistachios and almonds (alone or combination). See in post for more details of different nuts used in different countries.
3. Cutting - See video and photos. Use small stabbing motions to cut through once, then run the knife through smoothly through the same cut. I cut 4 long straight strips in the pan, then cut across diagonally.
4. Storage - I've kept it for up to a week with no change in quality, in fact it gets better with time! Beyond a week I found the pastry starting to its crispiness a bit because the surface tends to go flaky - but not by much, still 100% tasty.
Store in an airtight container in the pantry.
See Also: https://piskun.ca/blog/greek-baklava/
Source: https://www.recipetineats.com/baklava/