As the result of my recent post, Save the Honey Bees, Save the Baklava, I’ve gotten a lot of requests for my baklava recipe, so here is an authentic baklava recipe straight from my Greek family’s recipes. My yiayia used to make her own phyllo dough, and as yummy as it is, I find it just as tasty (don’t tell her that) to use pre-made. Even though I am familiar with this particular style of baklava, there are many cultures around the world (Lebanese, Turkish, Albanian, etc) that also make this sweet treat with their own variations. Some roll it in the phyllo dough, others make it int tight little rolled triangles, and some even create a spiral wreath. So without further ado, break a plate, throw on some bouzouki rebetika music and shout out one last Oupah for good measure.
Here’s how to make some pretty brilliant baklava, dictated to me by my mom by phone…
What you need
11 x 7 x 2 baking dish – greased w/ butter
1 pound phyllo dough – preferably from a Greek deli
3-4 sticks unsalted butter melted
2 – 3 cups walnuts (can use 2 cups walnuts, 1 cup blanched almonds or pistachios)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
What to do
- Preheat oven to 350
- Melt the butter
- Finely chop nuts to uniform size – can use food processor, but carefully
- Mix together 1/4 cup of sugar and the cinnamon, then add in chopped nuts
- Put a 6 or 7 sheets of phyllo into your greased pan, brushing generously with butter between each layer
- Layer a handful or two of the nut mixture evenly
- Then cover in another sheet of phyllo, and butter
- Repeat a few times
- Then cover with another 6 layers of phyllo and butter
- Cut into diagonal diamonds. Make sure to cut through ALL the layers!
- Bake until golden and crispy for about an hour
Make the syrup
- Heat remaining sugar, water, lemon juice and honey in a small saucepan over low heat till sugar dissolves
- Pour over hot cooked baklava
- loosely cover and let stand for a few hours or over night
Oupah!
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Pamela Haun
August 11, 2013 at 10:14 am
Thank you for your Baklava recipe, we have added almonds & walnuts (roasted to remove flaky covering which is bitter, never occurred to me to add pistachio! This is going to be an excellent batch.
Baklava nut
September 30, 2013 at 2:53 pm
I have been a baklava fan for more than 40 years.
The best combinations include almonds, pistachios, walnuts and hazel nuts.
But for the greatest treat of east meets west, or north meets south, serve 3 pieces of baklava with 1 scoop of Hagendazs macadamian nut brittle, 1 scoop of vanilla I’ve cream.
Peace on earth.
Check with your doctor before hand, or use in extreme moderation.
Enjoy.
Sue K.
June 4, 2014 at 10:04 am
My son and I made this recipe for his school project on Greece, and it was SO delicious! We used both walnuts and pistachios. Thank you for an easy-to-follow recipe that came out exactly as I hoped it would! I had found several baklava recipes online, but I am very glad I chose this one.
Jen
June 16, 2014 at 3:53 pm
I made this recipe for my Greek boyfriend’s birthday in lieu of cake and his family loved it. I’ve made it since, and I’ve had people tell me that it’s the most perfect baklava recipe they’ve tasted. I also made mine with roasted pistachios and walnuts and it has so many levels of flavor. The fresh lemon really is the trick though! It cuts the sweetness from the honey and gives it a unique flavor. It’s a time consuming process, but the reward is AMAZING!
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Katie Rodriguez
September 12, 2014 at 6:41 pm
I’m going to make this for a school function; I hope I don’t mess it up!
Amy
September 14, 2014 at 7:34 pm
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Wondering, how far ahead can I make this recipe?
Can I start making it on Thursday, and add the syrup on Friday (or am I able to add on the same day), for a wedding after party this Saturday?
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Chantelle
November 23, 2014 at 12:38 am
I made this for my husband’s Greek class end-of-year BBQ and it was EASY and DELICIOUS! Your instructions were perfect! Thank you SO much for sharing your recipe! Best Baklava I’ve ever tasted.
Rachel
April 13, 2015 at 4:39 am
Looks absolutely delicious!
Homer Simpson-opoulos
November 12, 2015 at 2:54 pm
Nice baklava recipe.
I thought the exuberant Hellenic expression to be OPA (or ohpa, if you prefer).
Oupah reads more Homer (intended) Simpson-opoulos like.
(Oupah) Oompa Loompas prefer chocolate on their baklava.
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Katherine Warlund
April 10, 2016 at 1:05 pm
Do you use raw our roasted nuts? I have ordered roasted, unsalted pistachios. The last time I made this recipeci used raw. I think the roasted pistachios will work even better with the lemon juice. Any thoughts?
Nat
May 2, 2016 at 8:29 pm
There is vanilla shown in the picture with the ingredients-but it is not included in the directions.
Am I missing something?
pamela eberly
December 10, 2016 at 7:16 am
Thank you for sharing you Mother’s recipe. There are so many variations but this is what I remember from years ago. This is the best. Thanks again.
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Elizabeth Ainsworth
January 18, 2023 at 4:48 pm
Deeeeeelishus🥰& THE most easypeasy recipe ever! The only amendment to this recipe I would offer is that it most definitely doesn’t need to bake for an hour – 30 minutes maximum for a lovely crisp & golden result!