Turkish Baklava with Honey (Print Version)

Crisp layers of phyllo dough with a rich nut filling, finished with fragrant honey syrup for a sweet treat.

# What You'll Need:

→ Nuts Filling

01 - 1 ½ cups finely chopped walnuts
02 - 1 cup finely chopped pistachios
03 - ½ cup finely chopped almonds
04 - ½ cup granulated sugar
05 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

→ Phyllo & Butter

06 - 1 lb phyllo dough, thawed
07 - 1 cup unsalted butter, melted

→ Honey Syrup

08 - 1 cup honey
09 - 1 cup water
10 - 1 cup granulated sugar
11 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
12 - 1 strip lemon zest
13 - 1 cinnamon stick

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with melted butter.
02 - In a bowl, mix walnuts, pistachios, almonds, half of the sugar, and cinnamon until evenly blended.
03 - Unroll phyllo sheets and cover with a damp cloth to prevent drying.
04 - Place one phyllo sheet in the pan and brush with melted butter; repeat layering and buttering a total of eight sheets.
05 - Evenly sprinkle one-third of the nut mixture over the buttered phyllo layers.
06 - Add five phyllo sheets, brushing each with melted butter.
07 - Spread another one-third of the nut mixture across the phyllo layers.
08 - Place five more phyllo sheets on top, brushing each with butter.
09 - Sprinkle the remaining nut mixture evenly atop the phyllo sheets.
10 - Top with eight to ten phyllo sheets brushed with melted butter, finishing the layering.
11 - Using a sharp knife, cut the assembled baklava into diamond or square shapes before baking.
12 - Place the pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crisp.
13 - Combine honey, water, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove zest and cinnamon stick and let syrup cool slightly.
14 - Immediately after baking, slowly pour the warm syrup evenly over the hot baklava.
15 - Let the pastry cool completely and absorb the syrup for at least 4 hours before serving.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • That perfect crunch and shatter moment when you bite through the phyllo, followed by the warm, sticky sweetness of honey soaking into the nuts.
  • It looks far more impressive than it is to make, so you can actually feed people something that feels special without spending all day in the kitchen.
  • Four-hour-old baklava might taste even better than fresh, making it ideal for baking ahead and forgetting about until dessert time.
02 -
  • Phyllo dough is forgiving if you understand it—it wants to be cold when you work with it but warm when it bakes, so keep it covered and work at room temperature, not your hot kitchen table.
  • Pouring the syrup over the hot baklava immediately after it comes out of the oven is the difference between syrup that clings and syrup that soaks; cold baklava and warm syrup just slide off.
  • The four-hour rest isn't fancy tradition—it's the time the pastry actually needs to absorb the honey and reach its best texture and flavor.
03 -
  • If you're nervous about phyllo, practice with the first few sheets—you'll quickly understand how forgiving it actually is, and by the time you're halfway through, your hands will know what to do.
  • Brushing butter between every single layer is the difference between good baklava and the kind people remember; don't rush or skip this step thinking nobody will notice.
  • Taste your honey syrup before pouring—if it needs more brightness, add a squeeze of lemon; if it needs more warmth, an extra pinch of cinnamon works wonders.
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