Baklava
A home-style recipe for Baklava. Makes about 30 pieces, ready in about 75 minutes.
Ingredients
- For the syrup: 1 cup (200 g) sugar, ¾ cup water, 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cups (about 250 g) walnuts, pistachios or almonds, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)
- 1 pack (about 450 g) filo pastry, thawed
- 200 g butter, melted
Missing something?
- No filo (phyllo) pastry? Use thin roti or puff pastry.
- No dry fruit and nuts? Use almonds, raisins or any nuts you have, or skip.
- No butter? Use ghee or oil.
- No sugar? Use jaggery (gur) or honey, added gradually.
Method
- Boil the sugar and water for the syrup for 8–10 minutes, until slightly sticky. Add the lemon juice and leave to cool.
- Heat the oven to 170°C. Mix the nuts with the 2 tbsp sugar and the cinnamon.
- Brush a 20 × 30 cm baking tin with butter. Trim the filo to fit and keep it covered with a damp cloth so it doesn't dry out.
- Lay 8 sheets in the tin, brushing each one with butter. Spread half the nuts over them.
- Lay 6 more buttered sheets, then the rest of the nuts, then the remaining sheets, buttering each one. Brush the top well.
- With a sharp knife, cut all the way through into diamonds or squares.
- Bake for 45–50 minutes, until deep golden and crisp.
- Pour the cool syrup over the hot baklava straight from the oven. Leave uncovered for at least 4 hours before serving.
Tip: Cool syrup on hot baklava keeps it crisp; if both are hot, it goes soggy. The resting time isn't included.
Not for the air fryer. It is too big for most air fryer baskets. Use the oven.