Ingredients
- 2 t. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 t. (plus) ground allspice
- 3 oz. blanched almonds
- 3 oz. raw walnuts
- 3 oz. raw pistachios •1/8 cup water
- 1/2 t. rose water
- 8 oz. phyllo dough, thawed
- 4 oz. melted butter
For the syrup:
- 1/2 + 1/8 c. honey
- 1/2 + 1/8 c. water
- 1/2 + 1/8 c. sugar
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 1 (2-inch) piece fresh orange peel
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and spices into the bowl of a food pro and pulse until finely chopped, but not pasty or powdery, approximately 15 quick pulses. Set aside.
- Combine the water and rose water in a small spray bottle bottle and set aside.
- Trim the sheets of phyllo to fit the bottom of the pan (mine was 8×8, glass). Brush the bottom and sides of the pan with butter; lay down a sheet of phyllo and brush with butter. Repeat this step 9 more times for a total of 10 sheets of phyllo. Top with 1/3 of the nut mixture and spread thinly. Spritz thoroughly with the rose water. Layer 6 more sheets of phyllo with butter in between each of them, followed by another third of the nuts and spritz with rose water. Repeat with another 6 sheets of phyllo, butter, remaining nuts, and rose water. Top with 8 sheets of phyllo brushing with butter in between each sheet. Brush the top generously with butter. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cut into 28 squares. Return pan to the oven and continue to bake for another 30 minutes. Remove pan from the oven to a cooling rack and cool for 2 hours before adding the syrup.
- Make the syrup during the last 30 minutes of cooling. Combine the honey, water, sugar, cinnamon stick and orange peel in a small saucepan and set over high heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Once boiling, boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and discard the peel and cinnamon stick.
- After the baklava has cooled for 2 hours, re-cut the entire pan following the same lines as before. Pour the hot syrup evenly over the top of the baklava, allowing it to run into the cuts and around the edges of the pan. Allow the pan to sit, uncovered until completely cool. Alton says to cover and store at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to overnight before serving and to store, covered at room temperature for up to 5 days, but I like my baklava cold, straight from the fridge, just like they serve it at Greek restaurants.
Recipe and Photo: Cake Walk / CC BY-SA
