Baklava

Baklava is the traditional Middle Eastern dessert made from layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts – usually walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios and almonds – and held together by syrup or honey.

Course Dessert, Global, hightea, sweet

Cuisine Global, Lebanese, MiddleEastern

Keyword almond, baked, dessert, nuts, Sweet, walnuts

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Servings pieces

Calories 124kcal

Ingredients

1/2 pack Filo pastry thawed. ( I had a pack of 375g of filo pastry. I have cut them into the tin size and used)
100 g unsalted butter melted
1/4 cup almonds chopped
1/4 cup walnuts chopped
1/4 cup pistachio chopped
2 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tbsp powdered sugar or as per the sweetness needed
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar or as per sweetness needed

Instructions

First, make the syrup. In a pot, add sugar, water, and honey. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then reduce heat to low and boil an additional 5 min.
Add lemon juice. Mix well. Remove from heat and let syrup cool while preparing baklava.
In a plate add the chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachio). Or add the nuts as per your choice.
Grind the nuts coarse and remove in a bowl. Add cinnamon powder and powdered sugar.
Mix well and keep aside.
Take the filo pastry sheets and trim it to the size of the pan to be used. I have used a rectangular 8"x6" pan.
Cover the pastry sheets with a damp cloth to prevent from drying.
Grease the pan with the melted butter with the help of a brush.
Place a filo pastry sheet in the greased tin. Brush it with melted butter. Place other filo pastry sheet over it and brush it with melted butter. Similarly, place other eight pastry sheets over it.
Sprinkle the powdered nut mixture over the buttered sheets generously.
Place a filo pastry sheet over it and brush it with butter. Place again five more sheets of filo pastry applying butter on it.
Again put the powdered nut mixture on the entire surface.
Place five more sheet applying butter on them. Again sprinkle the powdered nut mixture on the buttered sheets. Place ten more sheets applying butter in between.
Cut the pastry into the diamond.
Bake the pastry in a preheated oven at 180 C for 1 hour and 15 minutes or the top surface turns golden.
Remove from oven and immediately pour cooled syrup evenly with the help of spoon over the hot baklava. This will ensure that it stays crisp rather than soggy. Let baklava cool completely, uncovered and at room temp.
Remove and serve.

Nutrition