Enough history to start a war and enough sugar to kill a horse
Paper-thin homemade pastry, a mountain of pistachios and walnuts, and a bath of honey-lemon syrup. Whether you call it Greek or Turkish, just don't argue about it with your mouth full.
The challenge
- Rolling phyllo paper-thin
- Preventing dough from drying
- Layering dozens of sheets
- Achieving flakey texture
- Sugar syrup temperature timing
Homemade phyllo dough gets rolled so thin you can read through it, which is exactly as difficult as it sounds. Each sheet needs to be nearly transparent without tearing, and they dry out fast, so you're racing against time during assembly.
Dozens of butter-brushed layers get stacked with ground nuts, then baked until golden and shatteringly crisp. The final result should shatter into flaky, honey-soaked layers, but getting there requires the kind of dough-rolling skill that takes serious practice to develop.
Prep: 2 hours 30 minutes (plus resting) Β Β·Β Cook: 1 hour
Ingredients
For the homemade phyllo
- 500 g (4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus cornflour (cornstarch) for rolling
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- About 220 ml (scant 1 cup) warm water
For the filling
- 250 g (2 cups) shelled unsalted pistachios
- 200 g (2 cups) walnuts
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 250 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, clarified (or ghee)
For the syrup
- 400 g (2 cups) sugar
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) water
- 100 g (1/3 cup) honey
- 1 strip lemon peel plus 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
Method
- Make the doughMix the flour and salt, then add the egg, olive oil, vinegar and most of the water. Knead for 10 minutes, adding water as needed, until very smooth, soft and elastic. Divide into 16 equal balls, coat lightly in oil, cover and rest for at least 1 hour. Relaxed gluten is what lets you roll it thin.
- Make the syrup firstSimmer the sugar, water, lemon peel and cinnamon for 10 minutes until slightly syrupy, then stir in the honey and lemon juice. Let it cool completely to room temperature. Cold syrup on hot pastry is what keeps the layers crisp.
- Prep the nuts and butterPulse the pistachios and walnuts with the sugar and cinnamon until finely chopped but not powdery. Melt and clarify the butter by skimming off the foam and pouring it off the milky solids. Brush a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 in) metal tin with butter.
- Roll the sheetsWorking with one ball at a time and keeping the rest covered, dust heavily with cornflour and roll with a long thin rolling pin (or a dowel) to a rough rectangle a bit bigger than your tin, turning and re-dusting often. Aim for so thin you can see your hand through it. Stack sheets with cornflour between them under a damp tea towel.
- Build the basePreheat the oven to 175Β°C (350Β°F). Lay a sheet in the tin, letting excess crumple up the sides, and brush with butter. Repeat with 5 more sheets, buttering every one.
- Layer the nutsScatter a third of the nut mixture evenly over the base. Add 2 buttered sheets, then another third of the nuts, 2 more sheets, then the final third.
- Top it offFinish with the remaining 6 sheets, buttering each one generously, including the top. Trim or tuck the edges, then drizzle any remaining butter over.
- Cut before bakingWith a very sharp knife, cut all the way through into diamonds or squares (about 24 pieces). It's impossible to cut neatly once baked.
- BakeBake for 50β60 minutes until deep golden and crisp all over. If the top browns too fast, lower to 160Β°C (320Β°F) for the last 15 minutes.
- Syrup and waitAs soon as it comes out of the oven, slowly ladle the cold syrup evenly over the hot baklava, especially into the cuts. You'll hear it sizzle. Leave uncovered at room temperature for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight, before serving.
- Settle the disputeCut the baklava into perfect diamonds and serve with strong coffee. When someone asks if it's Greek or Turkish, say "yes" and walk away. Book a dentist appointment for everyone at the table.
Tips from the trenches
- Keep every sheet you aren't using under a damp (not wet) tea towel. Phyllo dries and cracks in minutes.
- Be generous with cornflour when rolling: it stops sheets sticking and lets you get them truly paper-thin.
- Small tears don't matter in the middle layers. Save your best sheets for the top.
- Hot pastry, cold syrup (or the reverse). Both hot means soggy baklava.
βCooking is a subject you can never know enough about. There is always something new to discover.ββ Bobby Flay
