Best Baklava Recipe - How to Make Baklava

Baklava is a rich, sweet dessert pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and sweetened and held together with syrup or honey. It is characteristic of the cuisines of the Levant and the broader Middle East, along with the Caucasus, Balkans, Maghreb, and Central Asia.

Best Baklava Recipe - How to Make Baklava

Ingredients: 

For baklava -

• Walnut : 16 oz 

• Phyllo dough (thawed) : 16 oz

• Ground cinnamon : 1 and a ½ tablespoon

• Ground cardamom/ground clove : ¼  tablespoon

• Salt : ¼ tablespoon

• Butter (melted) : 1 cup

• Additional (for garnish) : pistachio (crushed)

For syrup -

• Water : 1 cup 

• Sugar : 1 cup

• Honey : 1 cup

• Cinnamon : 1 stick

• Orange peel : 1 strip 

• Lemon peel : 1 strip 

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Pulse the walnuts in a food processor with the cinnamon, cardamom and salt until well chopped.

3. To assemble the baklava, place 8 layers of phyllo dough one-by-one on the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan, brushing each layer lightly with butter.

4. Spread ⅕ of the walnut mixture evenly on top.

5. Add another 5 layers of phyllo one-by-one, brushing each layer with butter, then add another layer of nuts. The total sequence of phyllow layers should be 8-5-5-5-5-8, with nuts in between those layers.

6. Bake the baklava for 50 minutes, until golden on the edges and tops.

7. In the meantime, bring all the syrup ingredients to a boil in a saucepan, then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.

8. Remove the citrus peels and cinnamon stick and pour the hot syrup evenly over the baklava. 

9. Let the baklava cool completely at room temperature for 8 hours.

10. Garnish with crushed pistachios on top.