Greek Baklava

Name: Greek Baklava
Cook time: 235 min
Total time: 235 min
Yield: 24 servings
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 450g Phyllo Pastry Sheets; 250g Unsalted Butter, melted, preferably clarified; 450g Walnuts, finely chopped; 75g Granulated Sugar; 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon; 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves; Some Salt; 300g Granulated Sugar; 250ml Water; 180ml Honey; 2 tbsp Lemon Juice; 1 sticks of Cinnamon Stick; 4 Whole Cloves; 1 strips of Lemon Peel, optional (traditional)

Greek baklava is a crisp, golden phyllo pastry layered with a warmly spiced walnut filling and finished with a fragrant honey-lemon syrup. Each bite combines flaky buttered sheets, tender nuts, and a sticky, aromatic glaze for a decadent, timeless dessert. Allowing the syrup to soak in yields a perfect balance of crunch and syrupy tenderness.

Greek baklava is a crisp, golden phyllo pastry layered with a warmly spiced walnut filling and finished with a fragrant honey-lemo... Show more

Traditional Greek Recipe

Health Grade

D- · Occasional

Rating

4.6

Time

3 hrs30 min

Price

0,82 €

Calories

363 kcal

vegetarian

potluck

holiday/special occasion

mediterranean

Method

Make the syrup

In a small saucepan, combine the Granulated Sugar, Water, Honey, Lemon Juice, Cinnamon Stick, Whole Cloves, and, if you like, a strip of Lemon Peel. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the syrup looks slightly thickened. Remove the cinnamon stick, cloves, and lemon peel, then set the syrup aside to cool completely.

Preheat the oven

Heat the oven to 350° F. Brush a 9x13-inch baking dish with a little of the melted Unsalted Butter, preferably clarified, and keep the Phyllo Pastry Sheets covered with a clean, slightly damp towel so they stay flexible while you work.

Chop the walnuts

Finely chop the Walnuts if needed, then mix them with the sugar, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Cloves, and Salt until the filling looks evenly speckled and smells warm and nutty.

Layer the baklava

Divide the walnut filling into 3 equal portions. Lay enough phyllo sheets in the buttered dish to make a sturdy base, brushing each sheet lightly with butter as you go, then sprinkle on the first portion of filling. Add another buttered stack of phyllo and the second portion of filling, then repeat with the remaining filling and finish with a final stack of phyllo. Brush the top generously with butter and cut all the way through into diamonds or squares with a very sharp knife before baking.

Bake until golden

Bake for 45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, then keep baking up to 50 minutes until the top is deep golden and crisp. If it starts to brown too fast, loosely tent it with foil for the last few minutes.

Soak in syrup

As soon as the baklava comes out of the oven, slowly ladle the cooled syrup over the hot pastry, aiming at the cuts so it runs between the layers. Let it sit uncovered for at least 2 hours until the syrup is absorbed and the top still feels crisp.

Slice and serve

Run the knife through the cuts once more, lift out the diamonds or squares, and serve the baklava at room temperature. Spoon any syrup left in the pan over the pieces if you like a little extra shine.