Baklava
Baklava is a layered pastry dessert rooted in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean culinary traditions. Paper-thin sheets of phyllo dough are stacked in a baking pan, each brushed with melted butter, with a filling of finely chopped walnuts and pistachios spread between the layers. After baking until the top turns deep golden, a hot honey-and-sugar syrup is poured over the entire pan so the crisp pastry absorbs the liquid gradually. Ground cinnamon mixed into the nut filling adds a warm spice note that balances the sweetness. The contrast between the shattering crispness of the top layers and the syrup-soaked bottom layers defines the eating experience. Baklava keeps well at room temperature in an airtight container for over a week, and it is traditionally served alongside unsweetened Turkish coffee.
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Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 170C and chop nuts finely, then mix with cinnamon.
- 2
Brush a pan with melted butter and layer 6 sheets of filo, buttering each sheet.
- 3
Add half the nuts, then 4 sheets, remaining nuts, and finish with 6 more sheets.
- 4
Score into diamonds and bake 35-40 minutes until golden.
- 5
Simmer honey, sugar, and water into syrup, then pour over hot baklava and cool.
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