Something Sweet · Middle East

Baklava

By The Savorient Team

Paper-thin phyllo layered with spiced walnuts and pistachios, baked until crisp and soaked in honey-lemon syrup.

Baklava cut into diamonds in a metal tray, glistening golden phyllo layers with walnut and pistachio filling, topped with crushed pistachios
Where this comes from: baklava is shared across the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, and nearly every country in the region will tell you their version is the right one. Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Armenia each have their own take — some lean on honey and cinnamon, others on a lighter sugar syrup scented with rose or orange blossom water, and the nuts change from walnuts to pistachios depending on what grows nearby. The paper-thin pastry that makes any of it possible was refined in the kitchens of the Ottoman court, where baklava was a dish of ceremony rather than an everyday sweet.
45 minPrep time
50 minCook time
4 hrRest time
5 hr 35 minTotal time
24Pieces
MediumDifficulty

Ingredients

  • 1 lb phyllo dough, thawed
  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 cups walnuts, finely chopped
  • 1 cup shelled pistachios, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
  • 2 cups granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Instructions

  1. Make the syrup first so it has time to cool completely: combine 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, the water, honey, lemon juice, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick and let the syrup cool to room temperature.
  2. Heat the oven to 325°F and brush a 9x13-inch pan with melted butter.
  3. Toss the chopped walnuts and pistachios with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, the ground cinnamon, and the cloves.
  4. Lay a third of the phyllo sheets into the pan one at a time, brushing each with melted butter. Keep the sheets you are not using under a damp towel — phyllo dries out and cracks within minutes.
  5. Spread half the nut mixture evenly over the phyllo. Layer another third of the sheets, buttering each one, then scatter the remaining nuts. Finish with the last third of the phyllo, buttering every sheet including the top.
  6. Cut all the way through to the bottom of the pan in diamonds or squares before baking. Cutting afterwards shatters the crisp layers.
  7. Bake 45-50 minutes, until deep golden and crisp all the way through.
  8. Ladle the cooled syrup evenly over the hot baklava, letting it run into every cut. Cool syrup on hot pastry is what keeps it crisp instead of soggy — never pour hot over hot.
  9. Scatter with extra chopped pistachios and rest uncovered at room temperature at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, so the syrup soaks all the way through before serving.

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