Baklava

Name: Baklava
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 70 min
Yield: 12 to 24 servings
Cuisine: Greek Menu
Ingredients: Walnuts — 450 g; Cinnamon — 1 tsp; Filo Dough — 450 g; Butter — 250 g; Sugar — 200 g; Water — 240 ml; Lemon — 1 slice; Honey — 1 tbsp

This traditional Greek baklava is a decadent masterpiece featuring thin, crispy layers of filo pastry generously brushed with melted butter and sandwiched with a fragrant, spiced walnut filling. Once baked to a perfect golden crunch, the entire tray is soaked in a honey and lemon-infused syrup that permeates every layer, resulting in a rich, syrupy, and nutty dessert that tastes even better the next day.

Cuisines

Cooking Instructions

Preparation: 40 minutes
Cooking: 70 minutes

Servings: 12 to 24

Notes:

Filo dough is delicate and dries out rapidly; always keep the sheets covered with a damp towel while layering, or use a spray bottle filled with melted butter for faster, more even application that minimises the risk of tearing.

Scoring the baklava into diamonds before baking is crucial; ensure your knife cuts all the way through to the bottom of the pan, which creates defined individual pieces that are much easier to serve once the pastry becomes sticky with syrup.

The baklava should be baked until it reaches a deep golden brown, ensuring that even the bottom layers of pastry are crisp and buttery, providing the necessary contrast to the sweet, syrupy filling.

Pour the cooled or room-temperature syrup over the piping-hot baklava immediately after it leaves the oven; this temperature contrast allows the syrup to soak deep into the crispy pastry layers without making them soggy.

Baklava is an excellent make-ahead dessert; it actually tastes better the following day as the flavours meld and the syrup distributes evenly, and it will keep well at room temperature for up to two weeks.

Prepare Filling
Finely chop the walnuts using a food processor and stir in the ground cinnamon, optionally adding a sprinkle of sugar if you prefer a sweeter filling.

Layer Pastry
Butter a 23x33 cm baking dish, then layer 8 sheets of filo pastry, brushing each sheet with melted butter, before adding a thin layer of the walnut mixture.

Continue Layering
Repeat the process of layering two sheets of buttered filo followed by a thin layer of walnuts until all ingredients are used, finishing with a final top layer of 6 sheets of buttered filo.

Score
Using a sharp knife, cut the pastry into diamond shapes by first slicing lengthwise, then diagonally, ensuring the knife reaches the bottom of the pan.

Bake
Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 50 minutes until golden brown, preparing the syrup by boiling sugar, water, lemon, and honey while the baklava bakes.

Soak and Set
Remove the hot baklava from the oven and immediately pour the syrup over the top, then allow to cool completely, ideally overnight, before serving.