How to Make Baklava

If you're tired of buying tiny pieces of expensive baklava, make a pan of it at home. Create a flavorful syrup with your favorite spices and use your choice of nuts to make a rich filling. Then layer sheets of buttered phyllo dough and scatter the filling in the middle. Bake your baklava until it's golden brown and pour the syrup over the hot pastry. Enjoy bites of the baklava whenever you like!

[Edit]Ingredients

[Edit]Syrup

• 2 cups (400 g) of granulated sugar
• 1 cup (340 g) of honey
• of water
• of lemon juice
• of light corn syrup (optional)
• 2 cinnamon sticks (optional)
• 4 to 6 whole cloves or 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) of ground cardamom (optional)

[Edit]Filling

• of blanched almonds, pistachios, walnuts, or any combination
• 1/4 cup (50 g) of granulated sugar
• 1 to 2 teaspoons (2 to 4 g) of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) of ground cloves or cardamom (optional)
• of phyllo dough, thawed
• 1 cup (226 g) of butter or vegetable oil

Makes 3 dozen small pieces

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Making the Syrup and Filling

1. Put the sugar, honey, water, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Pour 2 cups (400 g) of granulated sugar, 1 cup (340 g) of honey, of water, and of lemon juice into a medium saucepan on the stove.^[1]
   
   
   • If you don't want to use honey, substitute the same amount of granulated sugar.
2. Add corn syrup and spices if desired. To prevent the syrup from crystallizing, you can add of light corn syrup. If you'd like the syrup to have a slightly spiced flavor, add 2 sticks of cinnamon that are about in length. You can also add 4 to 6 whole cloves or 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) of ground cardamom.^[2]
   
   
   • For a citrus syrup, add the zest of a lemon along with of vanilla.
3. Heat the mixture over low for 5 minutes. Stir the mixture as it cooks so the sugar dissolves. Keep stirring the syrup as it heats so it cooks evenly and becomes a light syrup.^[3]
   
   
   • Use a wooden spoon to stir the syrup since the heat of the pot would transfer to a metal spoon.
4. Simmer the syrup for 5 minutes and remove the whole spices, if using. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the burner to medium. Stop stirring and let the syrup cook until it thickens a little. Turn off the burner and carefully remove the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves if you used them.^[4] once it's cooked enough.}}
   
   
   • Let the syrup cool while you prepare the filling.
5. Chop or pulse the nuts in a food processor. Get out of the nuts you want to use in the baklava. If you'd like chunkier baklava, use a chef's knife to finely chop the nuts. If you want delicately textured baklava, put the nuts in a food processor and pulse them until they're coarsely ground.^[5]
   
   
6. Combine the nuts with the sugar, cinnamon, and spice, if using. Put the chopped or ground nuts into a bowl and add 1/4 cup (50 g) of granulated sugar and 1 to 2 teaspoons (2 to 4 g) of ground cinnamon. If you'd like spicier baklava, add 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) of ground cloves or cardamom. Stir until the nuts are combined with the sugar and spice.^[6]
   
   
   • For an unusual flavor combination stir in 1 teaspoon (3 g) of coffee powder.
   • To give the baklava filling a bold flavor, add 1 teaspoon (2 g) of ground ginger.

[Edit]Assembling the Baklava

1. Preheat the oven to and grease a baking pan. If you'd like thicker baklava, butter the inside of a or pan. If you want to make thin baklava, grease a jelly roll pan.^[7]
   
2. Melt 1 cup (226 g) of butter. Put the butter in a microwave-safe dish and microwave it for 20-second intervals until it melts. If you'd rather melt it on the stove, put the butter in a small saucepan and turn the burner to low.^[8]
   
   
   • If you want lower-calorie baklava, replace half of the butter with vegetable oil.
3. Brush 7 sheets of phyllo with butter and stack them in the greased pan. Open the thawed package of phyllo dough and unwrap a sheet. Spread the sheet out and lay it in the pan. Then dip a pastry brush in the melted butter and brush the phyllo sheet lightly. Lay another sheet of phyllo in the pan and brush it. Keep doing this until you've stacked 7 layers of phyllo.^[9]
   
   
   • If you're using a jelly roll pan, you may need to cut a few sheets of phyllo dough to size so they cover the bottom of the pan.
4. Spread 1/2 of the spiced nut filling over the phyllo. Get out the ground or chopped nut mixture with the spices and scatter 1/2 of it over the phyllo sheets in the pan. Spread them evenly so the baklava has level layers.^[10]
   
   
5. Brush 8 sheets of phyllo with butter and lay them in the pan. Since this is the middle layer of baklava, it's fine to use up any torn or ripped sheets of phyllo. Try to brush butter between each of the 8 sheets as you stack them.^[11]
   
   
6. Spread the remaining filling and 8 more sheets of phyllo in the pan. Scatter the other 1/2 of the spiced nut mixture evenly across the middle layer of phyllo. Then butter and layer 8 more sheets of phyllo to make the top of the baklava.^[12]
   
   
7. Trim the edges and cut the baklava into small diamonds. Take a sharp knife and cut off any phyllo that's hanging over the side of the pan. Then cut 6 long strips that are wide through just the top layer of phyllo. Turn the pan so you can cut long diagonal slices across the top layer of pastry. This will create small diamonds that are about wide.^[13]
   
   
   • If you prefer, cut the baklava into small squares instead.
   • If you're having trouble cutting cleanly through the phyllo, try using a serrated knife.

[Edit]Baking the Baklava

1. Sprinkle the top of the baklava with water and bake it for 20 minutes. Dip your clean fingers in a bowl of ice water and sprinkle a little over over the top of the baklava. Then put the pan in the oven and bake the baklava for 20 minutes.^[14]
   
   
   • The ice water will prevent the top layer of phyllo from curling as it bakes.
2. Turn the oven to and bake the baklava for 15 minutes. Keep the baklava in the oven and turn the temperature down. Then bake the baklava until it becomes golden brown on the top.^[15]
   
3. Remove the baklava and cut through the lines. Turn off the oven and carefully take the baklava out of the oven. Immediately use a sharp knife to cut through the lines you cut earlier. Cut down to the bottom of the pan.^[16]
   
   
4. Pour the syrup over the hot baklava. Slowly pour the syrup or use a ladle to spoon the syrup evenly over the baklava. The phyllo will soak up the syrup as it runs down through the pieces you cut.^[17]
   
   
5. Cool the baklava for at least 4 hours before serving. Leave the baklava to sit at room temperature while it cools and absorbs the syrup. Then you can serve it or cover and store it for up to 1 week.^[18]
   
   • If the baklava looks dry, drizzle a little more syrup over it before serving.
   • The flavor and texture of baklava will actually be at its best 1 day after you pour the syrup over it.

[Edit]Tips

• To thaw frozen phyllo dough, leave it in the package on the counter for 5 hours or put the package in the refrigerator the night before you want to use it.^[19]
• To prevent the unused phyllo from drying out while you assemble the baklava, cover it with a damp dishcloth.

[Edit]Things You'll Need

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Medium saucepan
• Spoons
• Microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan
• Pastry brush
• Knife
• , , or pan

[Edit]Related wikiHows

• Make Spanakopita
• Make Tiropita
• Make a Traditional Greek Salad
• Make Dessert Pizza

[Edit]References

[Edit]Quick Summary

1. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/middle-eastern-nut-filled-multilayered-pastry-baklava-103991
2. ↑ https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/baklava-with-honey-syrup/
3. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/middle-eastern-nut-filled-multilayered-pastry-baklava-103991
4. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/middle-eastern-nut-filled-multilayered-pastry-baklava-103991
5. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/middle-eastern-nut-filled-multilayered-pastry-baklava-103991
6. ↑ https://food52.com/recipes/24860-citrus-and-cardamom-baklava-with-pistachios-and-walnuts
7. ↑ https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/classic-baklava
8. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/middle-eastern-nut-filled-multilayered-pastry-baklava-103991
9. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/middle-eastern-nut-filled-multilayered-pastry-baklava-103991
10. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/middle-eastern-nut-filled-multilayered-pastry-baklava-103991
11. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/middle-eastern-nut-filled-multilayered-pastry-baklava-103991
12. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/middle-eastern-nut-filled-multilayered-pastry-baklava-103991
13. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/middle-eastern-nut-filled-multilayered-pastry-baklava-103991
14. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/middle-eastern-nut-filled-multilayered-pastry-baklava-103991
15. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/middle-eastern-nut-filled-multilayered-pastry-baklava-103991
16. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/middle-eastern-nut-filled-multilayered-pastry-baklava-103991
17. ↑ https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/classic-baklava
18. ↑ https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/classic-baklava
19. ↑ https://www.cooksinfo.com/phyllo-pastry