Baklava
Crisp layers of filo pastry brushed with butter, filled with spiced chopped walnuts, baked golden and soaked in a hot honey-lemon syrup.
About this dish
Baklava's layering technique traces back to the kitchens of the Ottoman court in Istanbul, though sweetened nut pastries existed in the region long before — Byzantine, Persian and Arab cooks all have a claim on some ancestor of it. What makes the Greek version distinctive is the syrup: honey rather than the plain sugar syrup more common further east, poured over the pastry the moment it comes out of the oven so the heat pulls it all the way down through the layers.
- Vegetarian
- Not vegan because of Unsalted butter, Honey
- Contains gluten because of Filo pastry sheets
- Contains dairy because of Unsalted butter
Ingredients
- 450gFilo pastry sheets
- 300gShelled walnuts
- 200gUnsalted butter
- 150gCaster sugar
- 200gHoney
- 2tspGround cinnamon
- 30mlLemon juice
- 250mlWater
- 4piecesWhole cloves
Instructions
Toss the chopped walnuts with the cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of the sugar.
5 minTip: Sugaring the nuts now, not just the syrup later, keeps sweetness distributed through every bite instead of sitting only on the surface.
Brush a baking dish with butter, lay in half the filo sheets one at a time, brushing each with butter before adding the next.
15 minTip: Work fast and keep the stack you're not using covered with a damp cloth — filo dries and cracks within minutes of meeting open air.
Spread the walnut mixture evenly over the filo, then layer the remaining sheets on top the same way, buttering each one.
10 minTip: Cut the whole stack into diamonds before baking, not after — cutting cold, baked layers shatters them instead of slicing cleanly.
Bake until deep golden brown and crisp all the way through.
45 minTip: Resist checking it early. Opening the oven drops the temperature and the top layers need sustained heat to crisp rather than just dry out.
Simmer the honey, remaining sugar, water, lemon juice and cloves for 10 minutes, then pour the hot syrup evenly over the hot baklava straight from the oven.
10 minTip: Hot syrup on hot pastry is the whole trick — cold syrup on hot pastry turns the top layer soggy, and hot syrup on cooled pastry never fully soaks in.