Recipe
September 25, 2024
Greek Baklava
Crisp, buttery phyllo dough is layered with ground nuts, spiced with cinnamon and lavished with sweet syrup.
Directions
Yield: Makes 18 Large or 36 Small Pieces
- To make syrup, add water, sugar and cinnamon to a heavy-based pot. Stir together and bring to a boil, watching that it doesn’t boil over. Lower heat to medium and simmer for another 5 minutes, or, if using a candy thermometer, until it reaches 220ºF. Set aside until cool, then place in fridge to chill.
- To make baklava, preheat oven to 350ºF. Toast the walnuts and almonds on a baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown (keep an eye on them!). You might have to do this in 2 shifts or on 2 baking sheets. Let cool, then place in a food processor, along with sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Pulse 5 to 6 times only; you don’t want them completely ground. Set aside.
- To assemble baklava, brush the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ pan with melted clarified butter. Trim phyllo sheets to fit pan and carefully place 1 sheet in pan, brush with butter, layer a second sheet on top and brush that with butter, too. Sprinkle a few big handfuls of ground-nut mixture over phyllo, covering the entire surface. Continue layering and buttering 2 phyllo sheets at a time, then adding nuts until almost to the top of the pan. (Tip: Gently crinkling every other sheet of phyllo before laying it down gives the finished baklava extra lift.) Press down firmly on baklava before brushing top layer with a final coat of butter.
- Bake for 1 hour. Remove baklava from oven and score the top into desired portion sizes. Working while baklava is still very hot, ladle the cooled syrup over top. (Spiliadis says the 2 different temperatures are needed to achieve a moist baklava; otherwise, the syrup won’t penetrate the phyllo, resulting in a disappointingly dry baklava.) Continue ladling the syrup, taking short breaks to let it absorb, until the baklava will hold no more and the pan is full. (You may have leftover syrup.) Let the baklava cool for several hours, then slice and serve at room temperature.
Author: Amy Rosen
Photographer:
Angus McRitchie
Stylist:
Food styling by Ashley Denton/Prop Styling by Sasha Seymour