Traditional Baklava

Ingredients

2 x 375g packets Antoniou Fillo Pastry
2 cups chopped almonds or walnuts
500g unsalted butter                     
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Syrup

2 cups water                     
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup honey                  
1 teaspoon lemon juice
A few pieces lemon rind                               
Cinnamon stick

Method

Before starting this Filo Pastry recipe, remove your Filo Pastry from the refrigerator and bring it up to room temperature.

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Melt butter and lightly grease a 25cm x 43 cm baking tray.

With a knife, trim the fillo pastry to the size of the baking tray and keep trimmings.

Lay one packet of Filo Pastry into the baking tray, brushing with butter after every second sheet of Pastry.

In a bowl, combine chopped nuts, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Sprinkle evenly over the Pastry in the baking tray and press down to compress. Sprinkle with a little water to help the nut mixture stick together.

Process the trimmed pieces of Pastry from both packets in a food procesor until chopped and place on top of the nut mixture.

Take the second packet of Fillo and lay straight into the tray, pressing down to compact.

With a sharp knife, cut into small diamond or square shapes, making sure to cut right through to the base.

Slowly pour the remaining butter over the baklava allowing it to seep through the incisions. Sprinkle with a little water to prevent it from burning while it bakes.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until the baklava begins to puff up and brown. Lower to 160 degrees Celsius and bake for a further 75 minutes, then reduce to 140 degrees Celsius and bake for a further 45 minutes.

For the syrup

While the baklava cooks, combine ingredients for the syrup in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the syrup slightly thickens, and allow to cool.

Remove the baklava from the oven and pour the cold syrup over the hot baklava. Let the baklava stand and cool for 30 minutes before serving.

For more variations of baklava, browse through our Baklava recipe collection