Baklava

A step-by-step guide (and video) for how to make homemade baklava with perfectly crispy golden layers of phyllo, your choice of nuts, and lovely citrus honey syrup.

Homemade baklava has been on my culinary bucket list for years and years and years. So last December, I finally decided to have a little baklavathon and spent the whole month learning about the different baklava styles and food traditions from around the world, testing out various baklava recipes, and refining our own family’s favorites. And turns out — I enjoy making baklava so much. ♡

To be sure, baklava is a labor of love that will always require a few patient hours of your time to prep, assemble and bake. But as you’ll see in the video demonstration below, the process for how to make this particular style of baklava is genuinely quite simple. (No fancy techniques or equipment required.) And as someone who tends to find repetitive baking projects quite relaxing and meditative, I actually really enjoyed all of the chopping and brushing that goes into creating all 40 of those lovely, flaky, honey-soaked layers.

There are of course endless different ways that you can make baklava, depending on which food tradition you happen to be following. But the recipe our family loved best ended up being a bit of a mix between Greek and Turkish-style baklava, made with lots of buttery, golden, flaky sheets of phyllo, a mix of pistachios and walnuts, honey-sweetened syrup, plus a touch of warming spices and orange blossom water added in for extra depth of flavor. And my goodness, it is so decadent and SO delicious.

It’s the perfect project for easy weekend days or — now that we have a very active 8-month old around this holiday season — some blissfully uninterrupted solo baking time in the evening once the little ones finally go to sleep. And it also makes for a great gift if you feel like sharing some sweet treats with friends and family season. (Oohs and ahhs are guaranteed!)

If you’re new to making baklava, I would strongly recommend reading the notes and tips below before starting the recipe. But I promise that it’s truly easy to make and will be worth the time and effort. So grab your apron and let’s make some homemade baklava!

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source https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/baklava-recipe/