Baklava Recipe- How to Make Baklava
Directions
- 1Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- 2Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat stove-top, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves.
- 3Add the honey, orange extract if using, and whole cloves; stir to mix.
- 4Bring to a boil, then lower heat and let simmer for about 25 minutes.
- 5Remove syrup from heat and let cool to lukewarm.
- 6Add lemon juice.
- 7Remove the whole cloves.
- 8In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, add the pistachios, walnut, and hazelnuts.
- 9Pulse a few times to chop.
- 10Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add sugar, cinnamon, and ground cloves.
- 11Mix well to combine.
- 12Unroll the thawed phyllo pastry and place the sheets in between two clean kitchen towels.
- 13Prepare a 9”x 13”x 2” baking pan.
- 14Brush the interior of the baking pan with some of the melted butter.
- 15Take one sheet of phyllo and place it in the pan (fold it in half or trim as needed).
- 16Brush the top of the phyllo sheet with the melted butter.
- 17Repeat this process a few more times until you have used up about 1/3 of the phyllo pastry, each layer being brushed with the melted butter.
- 18Distribute about ½ of the nut mixture evenly over the top layer of phyllo.
- 19Continue assembling the baklava, one sheet of phyllo pastry at a time using another 1/3 of the phyllo.
- 20Brush each layer with a bit of the melted butter.
- 21Distribute the remaining ½ of the nut mixture evenly over the top layer of phyllo.
- 22Finish the remaining 1/3 of the phyllo pastry following the same process, laying one folded sheet at a time and brushing each layer with melted butter.
- 23Brush the very top sheet of phyllo with butter.
- 24Using a sharp knife, cut the pastry into 24 diamond shaped pieces (or up to 36 smaller pieces).
- 25Place the baking dish on the middle rack of your heated oven.
- 26Bake anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes or until the top of the baklava turns golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- 27As soon as you remove the baklava from the oven, pour the cooled syrup all over the hot baklava.
- 28Allow baklava to sit for a few hours before serving or for at least 1 hour.
- 29Cut through the earlier marked pieces.
- 30Serve with a garnish of chopped pistachios, if you like.
Ingredients
- 6 oz shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
- 6 oz walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 6 oz hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
- 0.25 cup sugar
- 1 to 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- large pinch ground cloves
- 16 oz package phyllo dough, thawed
- 1.5 to 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
- 0.75 cup sugar
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 cup honey
- 1 tbsp orange extract
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 lemon, juice of
Equipment
food processorsaucepan9”x 13”x 2” baking pankitchen shearssharp knifeskewer
Tips
- Thaw phyllo dough properly by placing it in the fridge 12-14 hours until ready to use, without removing it from the package. Take it out of the fridge 1 hour before starting.
- Place phyllo pastry sheets between two clean kitchen towels while working to keep them lenient and prevent tearing.
- Prepare honey syrup ahead of time and ensure it is cool when poured over the hot baklava for proper absorption and crispy layers.
- Chop nuts well, but do not grind them too finely into a paste or powder; you want to still be able to taste and enjoy their texture.
- Cut the assembled baklava into pieces before baking to prevent it from breaking apart after baking when it becomes crunchy.
- Baklava is even better the next day after it has completely soaked in the honey syrup. Store it covered at room temperature overnight, ensuring it is completely cooled before covering.
- To prevent baklava from getting soggy, pour cool syrup over hot baklava.
- Baklava can be stored well for up to 2 weeks in an airtight glass container at room temperature or in the fridge.
- Baked baklava can be frozen for up to 4 months; thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours.
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