Baklava Recipe: Greek Walnut Baklava with Honey Syrup

Baklava is layers of crisp, buttered phyllo and spiced nuts, soaked in syrup. Many countries have their own version; the Greek one usually uses walnuts with cinnamon, and a syrup flavoured with honey, lemon and cinnamon. It takes some time to assemble, but the steps are simple, and a tray makes about 30 pieces. For Greek holiday cookies in the same spirit, try melomakarona, which are dipped in honey syrup, or kourabiedes, which are buried in powdered sugar.

Baklava recipe

Serves: about 30 pieces. Prep: 45 minutes. Cook: about 1 hour. Total: about 6 hours, including cooling.

Ingredients

For the syrup

• 1 cup (200 g) sugar
• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• ½ cup (170 g) honey, such as our Kalymnos thyme honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2–3 strips of lemon peel
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

For the baklava

• 1 lb (450 g) package phyllo pastry, thawed according to the pack
• 3 cups (about 350 g) walnuts, or a mix of walnuts and almonds or pistachios
• ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cloves (optional)
• 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, melted

To finish (optional)

• A few tablespoons of finely chopped pistachios

Method

1. Make the syrup first: put the sugar, water, cinnamon stick and lemon peel in a pan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 10 minutes. Take off the heat and stir in the honey and lemon juice. Remove the cinnamon and peel, and leave to cool completely.
2. Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C), or 140°C fan. Brush a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) baking tin with butter.
3. Pulse the nuts in a food processor, or chop them, until they are the size of coarse crumbs. Mix with the sugar, cinnamon and cloves.
4. Unroll the phyllo and keep it covered with a clean, slightly damp tea towel. Lay 1 sheet in the tin, brush it with butter, and repeat until you have 8 buttered sheets.
5. Scatter over a third of the nuts. Top with 4 buttered sheets, another third of the nuts, 4 more buttered sheets and the last of the nuts.
6. Finish with 8–10 buttered sheets, brushing the top generously.
7. With a sharp knife, cut the baklava into diamonds or squares, all the way to the bottom.
8. Bake for 55–65 minutes, until deep golden and crisp.
9. As soon as it comes out of the oven, slowly pour the cool syrup evenly over the hot baklava. It will sizzle.
10. Leave it uncovered at room temperature for at least 4 hours, or overnight, so the syrup soaks in. Sprinkle with pistachios before serving.

The syrup rule: cool syrup, hot baklava

For crisp baklava, one of the two must be cool. The most common way is cool syrup over baklava straight from the oven. Pour slowly so every piece gets some, especially the corners and the cut lines. If you pour hot syrup on hot pastry, it can turn soggy; cool syrup on cool pastry won’t soak in properly.

Working with phyllo

• Thaw frozen phyllo slowly, following the pack. Cold, partly frozen sheets crack.
• Keep the stack covered with a slightly damp towel while you work, so the sheets don’t dry out.
• Don’t worry about tears in the middle layers; they won’t show.
• Trim the sheets to fit your tin, or fold the edges over.

Choosing honey for baklava

The honey goes into the syrup, so its flavour comes through in every bite. A thyme honey gives a floral, herby note; read about Greek thyme honey and pine honey vs thyme honey to choose. Crystallized honey is fine to use; it melts in the warm syrup. If your jar has gone solid, see how to decrystallize honey.

Nuts and spices

Walnuts are traditional in much of Greece. Almonds or pistachios, or a mix, work just as well. Chop the nuts finely but not to a powder, so there’s still some texture. Cinnamon is classic; a pinch of cloves adds warmth. Baklava contains tree nuts and wheat, so tell your guests.

Cutting and baking

Cut before baking: baked phyllo shatters if you try to cut it afterwards. Use a sharp knife and cut all the way through. Bake low and slow, so the layers crisp and colour evenly right through to the bottom.

How to store baklava

Keep baklava at room temperature, loosely covered (not airtight, or it will soften), and eat it within about a week. The fridge makes the phyllo chewy. You can freeze it, well wrapped, and thaw it at room temperature.

Serving ideas

• With a small cup of Greek coffee.
• With a spoonful of Greek yogurt and honey.
• As part of a Greek dessert table, alongside pasteli and fruit.

For the wider family of Greek sweets, see our guide to Greek desserts. Find more honey guides in the Greek honey collection and more ideas in our Greek pantry recipes.

Baklava: frequently asked questions