Recipe from Food Blogger “The Delicious Crescent”
This Baklava is heavenly! It features flaky layers of pastry with toasted nuts, soaked in juicy syrup and infused with fragrant aromas of rose water, cardamom, and ghee. It’s not overly sweet and has a unique flavor. I’ll be sharing two ways to make it (quick method in notes).
Pastry
16 oz phyllo dough thawed, follow package instructions
12 oz ghee or clarified butter, unsalted, see notes
Filling
10 oz walnuts finely chopped, 300g
10 oz almonds pistachios or combination, finely chopped, 300g
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cardamom freshly ground from seeds
Syrup
1½ cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rosewater
Thaw and Prepare the Phyllo Dough
To thaw phyllo dough, follow the package instructions. I thaw it overnight in the fridge, then leave it on the counter for 2 hours to reach room temperature.
My phyllo dough had 28 sheets that measured 17 x 12, which can fit a 17 x 12-inch baking sheet or be trimmed to fit. If using 9 x 14 sheets, just make more layers in a 9 x 13-inch pan, and avoid using deep baking dishes.
Make Sugar Honey Syrup
Combine sugar, water, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Stir until the sugar dissolves and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add honey and continue to simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove from heat, add rose water, and allow to cool to room temperature. The consistency of cooled syrup should be between that of honey and maple syrup.
Prepare the Nut Mixture
Pulse walnuts a few times in a food processor until finely chopped. Repeat with almonds. Chop larger pieces by hand.
In a mixing bowl, combine finely chopped nuts with sugar and ground cardamom.
Pre-Assembly
Keep the ghee/butter melted at all times, and warm it up gently if it thickens.
Unroll the phyllo dough and place the stack of sheets between two kitchen towels.
We will layer baklava in the following order: 10 sheets at the bottom, ½ of the nut mixture, 6 sheets in the middle, ½ of the nut mixture, and 12 sheets on top.
Assemble the Baklava
Preheat oven at 350°F.
Brush the bottom and sides of the baking sheet with ghee. Place one phyllo sheet in the pan and brush with ghee evenly. Repeat this process with 9 more phyllo sheets, brushing each layer with ghee.
Spread half of the nut filling evenly over the phyllo sheets.
Add 6 more phyllo sheets, gently pressing down each sheet and then brushing with ghee.
Spread the remaining nut mixture evenly on the phyllo dough.
Place the remaining 12 phyllo sheets, gently pressing down each sheet and then brushing with ghee.
Using a sharp knife, cut the pastry into 2″ strips, and then cut across diagonally to create diamonds shapes. Drizzle any extra ghee on top.
Bake and Serve
Bake the baklava in center of the oven at 350°F for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325°F and bake for another 40 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Pour syrup evenly over the baklava (both at room temp), and let it soak overnight for a pastry that stays crisp and flaky for weeks.
Tip: Alternatively, you can pour cooled syrup over warm baklava or warm syrup over cooled baklava, but the pastry may be softer.
Garnish the baklava with finely chopped or ground pistachios and cut through the layers once again before serving.
Make Ahead: Prepare the nut filling, ghee and syrup up to 4 days ahead. Keep phyllo dough in refrigerator up to a week in advance. Assemble the baklava and refrigerate or freeze before baking. Thaw the pastry to room temperature before baking.
Storage: Keep at room temperature for up to two weeks, lightly covered with a tea towel or a lid placed ajar. It can be refrigerated, but it will harden a bit. The baklava can also be frozen for up to two months.