Baklava
The secret to baklava isn't the filling; it's the butter. You want to coat every single microscopic fold of the dough so that when it hits the heat, the pastry shatters rather than tears.
Keep the phyllo under control
Phyllo dries out in seconds. Keep a damp—not wet—kitchen towel over the stack while you work, and pull out only one sheet at a time.
- 9x13 metal baking pan
- pastry brush
- sharp chef's knife
- food processor
What goes in.
- 1 lbphyllo dough, thawed
- 1 lbunsalted butter, clarified and kept warm
- 3 cupswalnuts or pistachios, pulse-chopped to coarse crumbs
- 1 tspground cinnamon
- 1 cupgranulated sugar
- 1/2 cupwater
- 1/2 cuphoney
- 1 tsplemon juice
Brushing vs. Drizzling
Do not drizzle your butter. Use a brush to paint every corner of each sheet; dry spots are the enemy of a crisp finish.
The method.
Prep the syrup
Combine sugar, water, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Simmer until the sugar dissolves completely, stir in the honey, and set it aside to cool completely before the baklava comes out of the oven.
Build the base
Brush the bottom of your pan with butter. Layer 8 sheets of phyllo, brushing each sheet individually with butter as you stack them.
Add the nut layer
Spread a third of the nuts over the dough. Repeat the process: 4-5 layers of buttered phyllo, another third of nuts, then another 4-5 layers of buttered phyllo, the final third of nuts, and a final 8 layers of buttered phyllo on top.
Cut before baking
Use a sharp knife to cut all the way to the bottom of the pan in a diamond or square pattern. If you don't cut it now, the pastry will shatter into shards when you try to slice it later.
Bake
Bake at 350°F until the top is deep golden brown and the edges look toasted, usually 45 to 50 minutes.
The soak
Pour the cool syrup over the hot, fresh-out-of-the-oven baklava. You should hear a sharp, high-pitched sizzle. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours before serving.
Other turns to take.
Pistachio Classic
Replace all nuts with high-quality unsalted pistachios for a vibrant green color and a distinct, earthy finish.
Spiced Walnut
Increase the cinnamon to 1 tablespoon and add a pinch of ground cloves to the nut mixture.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Clarify your butter by melting it slowly and skimming off the white milk solids; milk solids burn at high temperatures and will turn your phyllo bitter.
If you want the absolute crispest results, use a metal pan rather than glass or ceramic; it conducts heat more efficiently for the bottom layers.
Do not cover the baklava while it cools; trapped steam will turn the crispy pastry soft.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why is my baklava soggy?
You likely added the syrup while both it and the pastry were hot, or you covered the pan before it fully cooled. The syrup must be room temperature when it meets the hot pastry.
Can I freeze it?
Yes, but store it in an airtight container without the syrup. Add the syrup only after thawing and baking.
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