109Baklava

Method

Classic walnut and honey home version. Serve at room temperature, ideally alongside Greek coffee or cold water.

You will need

• baking pan (approx 35 x 25 cm)
• pastry brush
• saucepan
• sharp chef's knife
• mixing bowl

1. Make the syrup first: combine sugar, water, lemon peel, and the cinnamon stick in a saucepan over medium heat, bringing it to a simmer until the sugar fully dissolves. 5 min Ready when: sugar dissolved and liquid turns clear
2. Boil gently for 6 minutes, then stir in the honey and lemon juice, remove from the heat, and leave to cool completely to room temperature. 8 min Ready when: syrup lightly thickened and cooled completely
3. In a bowl, mix the finely chopped walnuts with ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and breadcrumbs until evenly combined. 5 min Ready when: spices thoroughly distributed through nuts
4. Preheat a conventional oven to 150°C (300°F) and brush a 35 x 25 cm baking pan generously with melted butter. 5 min · 150°C / 300°F Ready when: oven heated and tin evenly coated
5. Layer 10 filo sheets in the pan, brushing each sheet liberally with melted butter before laying the next. 10 min Ready when: flat glossy filo base
6. Scatter a light layer of the walnut mixture over the filo, top with two buttered filo sheets, and repeat this scattering and two-sheet layering until the nut mixture is finished. 12 min Ready when: filling evenly layered throughout
7. Finish by placing the remaining 8 to 10 filo sheets on top, brushing each thoroughly with butter as you stack them. 8 min Ready when: smooth top pastry layer
8. Using a very sharp knife, score through the top layers almost to the bottom into diamond shapes, then stud the centre of each diamond with a whole clove if using. 5 min Ready when: neat diamonds scored without tearing sheets
9. Flick cold water lightly over the surface with your fingertips, transfer to the preheated oven, and bake at 150°C (300°F) until deeply golden and crisp right through. 85 min · 150°C / 300°F Ready when: deeply bronzed, crisp and fragrant pastry
10. Remove the baking tray from the oven and immediately pour the cold syrup slowly and evenly over the hot baklava, listening to it sizzle as the liquid is drawn in. 3 min Ready when: vigorous hissing as cold syrup hits hot pastry
11. Leave uncovered at room temperature for at least 2 hours until the syrup is completely absorbed and the pastry settles before cutting all the way through. 120 min Ready when: syrup absorbed without pooling in corners

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Make ahead and storing

Best made a day in advance so the syrup settles evenly throughout the pastry.

Store uncovered or loosely draped with greaseproof paper at room temperature for up to 10 days; do not refrigerate.

Substitutions

• blanched almonds for walnuts. Almonds are traditional in the Aegean islands and yield a lighter, paler filling.
• sheep's milk butter (samali/galaktos) for unsalted butter. Traditional Greek confectionery butter provides a pungent, authentic dairy aroma.

Common mistakes

• Pouring hot syrup over hot baklava. It will turn the pastry sodden and doughy rather than crackling and layered.
• Baking at too high a temperature. The outer leaves will brown before the inner buttered layers dry out, leaving the interior raw and heavy.

Regional variants

• Baklavas Kymis: an Evian specialty made with dozens of gossamer sheets and pure almond filling.
• Gianniotikos baklavas: rolled parcels from Ioannina wrapped in crisp kataifi pastry alongside filo.

About the dish

Baklava is a revered festive sweet prepared across Greece for celebrations, name days, and weddings. Its layered construction is shared with Ottoman, Byzantine, and older Mediterranean confection traditions, though its precise geographical birthplace remains debated across the region. In Greek domestic kitchens, it is characteristically assembled with finely chopped walnuts, scented with sweet cinnamon and ground clove, and drenched after baking with an aromatic sugar and honey syrup laced with fresh lemon peel.

Found in all of Greece. Cooked for everyday, christmas, new year, name day, wedding.

Cousins elsewhere

• Baklava (Turkish). Ottoman pastry traditions spread layered filo sweets widely, though Greek versions commonly favour walnuts and spiced honey syrup over pistachios.
• Baklawa (Levantine). Levantine varieties often incorporate orange blossom or rose water, whereas Greek recipes rely on lemon peel, cinnamon, and cloves.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

333 kcal · protein 4.4 g · fat 20.7 g (saturated 6.6 g) · carbohydrate 35.3 g (sugars 21.1 g) · fibre 1.9 g · sodium 105 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Following the Greek home standard of slow-baked diamond cuts with spiced walnuts and cool honey syrup..

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