Ingredients
Makes 45 Pieces
2 x 375g Antoniou Fillo Pastry
375g Antoniou Kataifi pastry
250g unsalted butter, melted
350g walnuts, chopped finely
1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the syrup
400g caster sugar
400ml water
1 ribbon lemon rind
A squeeze of lemon
1 cinnamon stick
Method
Before you begin this Fillo Pastry recipe, take your Filo Pastry and Kataifi Pastry out of the fridge to bring it up to room temperature, in its packaging.
Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
Prepare the nuts
Process the walnuts until finely chopped and add a teaspoon of cinnamon. Mix well.
To make the syrup
Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and boil over medium to high heat for 20 minutes. Allow to cool.
To make the Yianniotiko
Remove the Kataifi from its packaging and unravel it. Pull apart the strands of Kataifi into little bunches to place inside the Yianniotiko. Place a dry tea towel over the prepared Kataifi.
Place a single sheet of Fillo Pastry onto your work surface with the shortest end facing you. Brush with butter then place another piece of Fillo on top. Brush with more butter.
Grab one bunch of Kataifi strands and place them along the bottom edge of the pastry. Drizzle melted butter over the Kataifi then spoon 3-4 teaspoons of the walnut mixture along the Kataifi. Fold the bottom edge of the pastry up and over the Kataifi and nuts, and keep rolling up until you’ve created a long log.
Place it in a long flat tray and continue these steps until the tray is full.
Cut the pieces into thirds and brush the whole tray generously with butter. Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and immediately pour the cooled syrup on top. Allow to soak in the tray until cool.
Recipe, video & Photography: Mary Politis from Mary’s Kouzina
Learn how to make Yianniotiko Baklava with Fillo Pastry and Kataifi Pastry