The baklava is a layered dessert that's made with filo pastry. Between the sheets is added layers of chopped nuts and it is sweetened with a honey syrup. It has rich historical roots, being one of the most popular dishes of the Ottoman empire. Today, the dish is present all over the globe, and is especially popular in West Asia, Southern Europe, Central Asia and more regions. This interesting dessert is made by creating layers of phyllo dough, then adding layers of chopped nuts in between, and more on top. A sweet syrup is then poured on top which, when given time, gets absorbed by every layer of the pastry. It's then garnished with more nuts and served. This rich and decadent dessert is a labour of love and offers different textures in the mouth, from the buttery pastry to the crunchy nuts and the thick syrup that coats the tongue. Modern variations of the dish offer many different flavours and toppings, but the recipe below is for the classic baklava. Follow this quick dessert recipe to make your own baklava and impress loved ones and guests.
Ingredients:
For the baklava and nut filling:
- 170 g shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
- 170 g walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 170 g hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
- 50 g sugar
- 2 tablespoon ground cinnamon (start with less if you're not sure)
- large pinch of ground cloves
- 1 pack dough, thawed
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter, melted
For the honey syrup:
- 150 g sugar
- 236 ml cold water
- 236 ml honey
- 1 tbsp orange extract (optional)
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 lemon juice
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350F or 177C.
- Make the honey syrup. Add the sugar and water in a small pan and heat on medium heat. Stir occasionally so that it doesnt stick to the base and burn. Keep stirring till all the sugar dissolves. Then add the honey, orange extract and cloves. Mix well. Let the mixture come to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. Then remove the syrup from the heat and let it cool till it's lukewarm. Then add the lemon juice, mix it in, and remove the whole cloves. Set aside.
- Now make the nut mixture. Add the pistachios, walnuts and hazelnuts in a blender bowl and pulse until it's chopped. Then transfer to a bowl. Add the sugar, cinnamon and ground cloves and mix well. Set aside.
- Next, make the pastry. Unroll the thawed pastry and place it on a sheet, with clean kitchen towels below and above it. Set aside.
- Prepare a baking pan by greasing it with butter. Take one of the phyllo sheets and place it in the pan. Brush the top of the pastry with melted butter. Then add another layer of pastry and more butter on top. Repeat this process a couple of times until half the phyllo pastry is used up.
- Then sprinkle the nut mixture on top evenly.
- Then add more layers of the pastry, with butter after each layer.
- Now add the remaining nut mixture on top.
- Next add the remaining layers of pastry on top.
- Now cut the baklava into diamond shaped pieces.
- Then bake for about 40 minutes. The exact time will depend on the machine you're using. You’ll know it's done when the top turns golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Once it has baked, pour the honey syrup over the hot baklava.
- Now let the baklava sit for a few hours at room temperature.
- Then cut along the lines you had made earlier.
- Garnish with chopped nuts and serve.
Notes, tips and tricks:
- You can start to assemble the baklava while the syrup simmers on the stove top. This is especially useful if you have less time on hand.
- Before you serve the baklava, make sure it has had the time to cool completely. It tastes even better the next day, since it has had the time to fully absorb the syrup.
- The baklava can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. It can also be frozen for a month. Make sure you let it thaw overnight in the fridge if using frozen baklava.