Classic Baklava
This is my mom’s recipe for classic baklava. It’s not drenched in syrup and it’s not overly nutty – it’s just crunchy, sweet and perfectly balanced.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb. filo dough
- 1 lb. unsalted butter, melted
FILLING
- 2 lb. chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp rose water
- 2-3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
SYRUP
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp rose water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
HOW TO MAKE IT
FILLING
- Process the walnuts in a food processor until they’re finely ground but not too powdery (keep checking the consistency so you don’t over process) – you could also do this with a nut grinder if you have one
- Mix the walnuts with the sugar, rose water and melted butter – start with 2 tbsp of butter and add in the 3rd if you think the mixture needs more moisture to stick together
SYRUP
- Pour the water into small sauce pan over medium-high heat
- Add in the sugar, keep stirring and bring to a boil
- Reduce the heat, add in the lemon juice and keep stirring over medium heat until the mixture begins to thicken and become syrup-like
- Be careful not to burn the syrup, it should remain a light color like light corn syrup, not golden brown like caramel or maple syrup
- Add the rose water in and blend well – take off the heat and allow to cool
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER…
- Unroll the filo dough on a flat surface and cover the stack with waxed paper and a damp towel – this will prevent it from drying out and becoming brittle (you don’t want the damp towel directly on the dough because it will ruin it)
- Lay out a sheet of filo and brush it generously with butter
- Lay another sheet on top of that one and brush it with butter (repeat this until you have a total of 4 sheets)
- Place an inch wide strip of walnut mixture along the bottom edge of the filo dough rectangle (make sure you place the walnuts along the longer side of filo)
- Roll the filo dough around the walnuts, pinching it to make sure it’s tight, and roll it up totally
- Cut the roll on the diagonal into pieces about 2 inches long (you should get approximately 10 pieces per roll)
- Repeat this process until you’re out of filo dough sheets (you should get 4 rolls)
- Place the pieces onto a greased baking pan
- Bake at 350°F for approximately 20-25 minutes or until golden brown
- Makes approximately 40 pieces
- While the baklava is warm, drizzle it with the cooled syrup
Variation…
- Brush a 9×13 inch baking pan with butter
- Layer 6 sheets of filo dough, brushing butter in between each sheet
- Spoon the walnuts over the filo
- Cover with 6 more sheets of filo dough, brushing butter in between each sheet
- Score the top 3 sheets with a knife
- Bake at 350°F for approximately 40-45 minutes or until golden brown
- Cut into pieces of desired size and drizzle with the syrup while still warm
