Common throughout the Mediterranean region and the Middle East, baklava is a world-famous dessert introduced to America by immigrants. This rich and crispy pastry is made with layers of phyllo dough, chopped nuts, and sweet syrup or honey. It may have originated in Turkey, although it also has Greek heritage. While its exact origin is unknown, it certainly predates the Ottoman Empire. In Greece, baklava is traditionally made with 33 layers of dough, signifying each year of Jesus Christ’s life.
Recipe Servings: 24
Prep Time
1 hour 5 minutes
+ 2 hours resting
+ 2 hours resting
Cook Time
1 hour
Total Time
4 hours 5 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
Filling:
- ½ lb pistachios, walnuts, or almonds, finely chopped
- ¼ cup dry breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cloves
Pastry:
Syrup:
Directions
- Mix pistachios, walnuts, or almonds with bread crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves.
- Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Put six layers of phyllo dough in the pan, brushing each sheet with melted butter.
- Spread a thick layer of nut mixture over phyllo dough. Add four more sheets of phyllo, buttering each one.
- Continue adding layers of nut mixture and phyllo dough until ingredients are used up, ending with 6 sheets of phyllo.
- Brush the top with butter. Trim or tuck in edges of dough.
- Cut diagonal lines through the top layers to make diamond shapes.
- Bake at 350°F for about 60 minutes, until golden-brown.
- About 10 minutes before the hour is up, boil the sugar, water, and lemon juice for 10 minutes to make syrup.
- Remove baklava from oven and pour hot syrup over it. Let stand for several hours before cutting pieces all the way through.
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