Name: Greek Baklava
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 8 Phyllo Pastry, sheets, thawed if frozen; ½ cup Walnuts, finely chopped; ¼ cup Pistachios, finely chopped; 3 tbsp Butter, melted; ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon; ¼ cup Sugar; 2 tbsp Honey; ¼ cup Water; 1 tsp Lemon Juice, fresh; 2 Cloves

1 hr 35 mintotal

1 hr 5 min hands-on30 min hands-off

Prep 25 min · Cook 40 min

Serves: 4
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: None

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Method

Mix the chopped walnuts, pistachios, and cinnamon powder in a bowl.
Brush a small baking dish with melted butter and layer half the phyllo sheets, brushing each sheet lightly with butter.
Spread the nut mixture evenly over the phyllo.
Layer the remaining phyllo sheets on top, brushing each sheet with melted butter.
Cut the baklava into small diamonds or squares before baking.
Bake at 180°C until the pastry is crisp and golden.
While it bakes, simmer sugar, honey, water, lemon juice, and cloves until slightly syrupy.
Remove the cloves from the syrup.
Pour the warm syrup evenly over the hot baked baklava.
Rest for 30 minutes so the syrup soaks in while the top stays crisp.
30 min

How to tell it's done

The top should be crisp and flaky, while the nut layers should be sweet, sticky, and aromatic.

Getting it right

Tip

Cut the baklava before baking; cutting it after syruping can crush the crisp phyllo layers.

What to serve it with

Serve small pieces with tea or coffee after a Mediterranean meal.

Common mistakes

The baklava turns soggy or crushes when cut.: Cut the pastry before baking and pour warm syrup over hot baklava in an even stream.

Substitutions

Use only Walnuts if Pistachios are unavailable.
Use Sugar with a little extra lemon if Honey is unavailable, but the flavor will be less traditional.
Keep unused phyllo covered with a slightly damp towel while assembling so it does not dry out.

Storing and reheating

Store baklava covered at room temperature for up to 4 days, or refrigerate for up to 1 week if your kitchen is warm. Freezing is not recommended after syruping.

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Ingredients