Dessert of the Gods
Flaky, buttery, nutty layers drenched in a citrus-kissed, clove & cinnamon-infused honey syrup, baklava is a unique and sweet dessert of Greek origins (well, that’s debatable I suppose). It’s crisp, flavorful, and impossible to eat just a single slice. I’ve been sharing recipes from my Italian heritage (remember my meatball recipe!), so I thought it’s about time that I shared my Greek side as well (I know, who would’ve guessed that this blue-eyed blonde is Greek and Italian!?). My great-grandfather, Constantinos, left his family and immigrated to the United States when he was very young, and while my family hasn’t maintained many Greek traditions (sadly) I’ve always felt that I should know how to make a killer batch of baklava. Baklava looks complex with its many, many flaky layers, but don’t be intimidated. You are going to need a large chunk of time to layer all of your phyllo (it gets pretty tedious) but the process itself is quite simple. Let’s get to that recipe!
What You Need
Let’s go over some (not all) of the key ingredients, notes and tips.
Phyllo (also commonly known as “Filo”). I usually find this in the frozen section, near the ice cream and other frozen desserts. You must thaw this before beginning, I leave mine in the fridge overnight.Butter. You need a lot of butter for this recipe, 2-3 sticks. I know this is quite a range, it really just depends on how heavy-handedly you brush your phyllo sheets. I use unsalted but honestly think you’d be fine using salted butter, I just haven’t tried it myself yet. While some recipes use clarified butter, I find simply melting the butter to be sufficient.Nuts. Walnuts, pecans, or pistachios are all great choices (or a blend of all 3!). Chop them finely with a food processor or use a knife and mince them as you would garlic. I like mine fine, but don’t grind them all the way to dust, you want some texture!Sugar. I like to use brown sugar with my nut mixture (I prefer the flavor) but granulated would would as well. For the syrup I use granulated sugar.Honey is the base for our syrup. We’ll infuse it with a splash of fresh lemon (and a slice of fresh lemon!) and a few key spices…Spices. A dash of cinnamon goes into the nut mixture, then the rest of the flavor comes from a cinnamon stick and whole clove boiled into the syrup.
Tip: Add some extra depth of flavor to your syrup by adding a splash of vanilla extract at the end. It’s not necessarily a traditional ingredient, but it is good! Remember, this is just an overview. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make It
Baklava isn’t difficult to make, but it is certainly time consuming. Unrolling and buttering 35 sheets of phyllo takes more time than you probably think, so make sure you give yourself enough time! Tip: Working with phyllo can be tricky as it’s very delicate and dries out easily. Before beginning, run a clean kitchen towel under water and then wring it out very well. After unrolling the phyllo, cover it with this towel and recover each time you remove a sheet. While the baklava is cooking you’ll prepare your syrup…
Syrup
One of the most critical components of good baklava is a good syrup. It mustn’t be too much or too little (to prevent baklava that’s too sweet and soggy or too dull and dry) and the timing of adding it is critical. It’s made of honey, water and sugar, cooked until the sugar is dissolved and boiled with a cinnamon stick, clove, and lemon slice to infuse a perfectly spiced and slightly citrus flavor. Begin to prepare your syrup immediately once the baklava is in the oven. It’s important that the syrup have some time to cool before it’s used and it’s also important that the pastry be very hot when you add it. This keeps the baklava from becoming soggy. Pour slowly and evenly over the pan so the syrup is evenly distributed. And enjoy that beautiful sizzling sound as it soaks into every sliver of the baklava! Tip: After it’s cooled, dress up your Baklava with a drizzle of chocolate. It adds such a lovely accent flavor to the dessert!
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I wanted to say a special thank you to Carol J. who shared her YiaYia’s baklava recipe with me several years ago! While I have tweaked the recipe (you know I can’t help it, just look at my own grandmother’s apple cake) over the years, without her base recipe I’m sure this version would never have existed. Many of the tips and notes I’ve included came from her own helpful hints. Enjoy! Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
