A sweet, nutty, authentic baklava filled with walnuts, sugar and just the right amount of cinnamon and cloves.
Prep Time45 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr15 minutesmins
Total Time2 hourshrs
Servings: 24servings
Calories: 373kcal
Author: Lucy Brewer
Ingredients
1pkgphyllo doughthawed and room temperature
2sticksunsalted buttermelted
5cupschopped walnuts
½cupplain dried bread crumbs
½cupgranulated sugar
2teaspoonground cinnamon
½teaspoonground cloves
Syrup
2 ¼cupsgranulated sugar
2cupswater
1teaspoonfreshly squeezed lemon juice
2cinnamon sticks
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325. Butter or spray a 9x13 inch baking pan. Don't use a glass dish.
Melt 2 sticks of butter in a saucepan on the stove.
Pulse walnuts in food processor, 2 cups at a time, until a mix of small pieces and some fine pieces. Don't chop to the point that they are ground. In a large bowl, combine chopped walnuts, sugar, bread crumbs, cinnamon and cloves.
Place 1 phyllo sheet in the buttered 9x13 pan and brush with melted butter. Continue this process with six sheets of phyllo, placing each sheet on top of the other and brushing well with butter.
Scoop out a generous handful of the walnut mixture and sprinkle on top of the last buttered sheet of phyllo.
Place 2 sheets of phyllo on top of the walnuts, one at a time, brushing each with melted butter. Add more walnuts on top of the second buttered sheet.
Repeat until all the walnuts have been used and end with six phyllo sheets for the top.
Butter each of the six sheets indivually just like you did at the beginning. Using a bread knife, cut straight lines and then diaganol lines. Hold the phyllo and cut slowly to avoid tearing.
Sprinkle a little water over the top and place in oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown.
Sugar Syrup - Prepare While Baklava is Baking
In a saucepan, combine 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar, 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice and 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks. Bring to a rolling boil and boil for exactly 8 minutes from the time it started boiling. Then remove from heat.
As soon as you remove the baklava from the oven, pour the warm sugar syrup over the top. Now just let it cool for a while and then go over the cuts again with the bread knife. Remove from pan and place on a serving platter.
Notes
The baklava will keep for several days in the refrigerator and just bring to room temperature before serving.