Chef John's Baklava
Recipe information
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Cooking:
20 min.
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Servings per container:
12
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Source:

Ingredients for - Chef John's Baklava

1. Walnut halves - 2 ½ cups
2. Shelled pistachios - 1 cup
3. Ground cinnamon - 1 ½ teaspoons
4. Unsalted butter, melted - ½ cup
5. Phyllo dough, thawed if frozen - 12 sheets
6. Sugar - 1 ½ cups
7. Water - ¾ cup
8. Honey - ¼ cup
9. Whole cloves - 3
10. Vanilla extract - ¼ teaspoon
11. Orange flower water - 1 ½ teaspoons

How to cook deliciously - Chef John's Baklava

1. Stage

Place walnuts, pistachios, and cinnamon in bowl of a food processor. Pulse on and off until mixture is chopped but not too fine.

2. Stage

Brush bottom of 9-inch round baking pan with melted butter. Place one round of phyllo dough in the pan; add a second round of dough. Drip about 1 tablespoon of melted butter over the top. Add 2 more sheets and drizzle with butter. Add 2 more sheets and drip with butter creating 6 layers for the bottom. (While you work keep the phyllo sheets covered with a damp, nearly dry, cotton towel to keep dough from drying out.)

3. Stage

Sprinkle with 1/3 of the nut mixture. Top with a sheet of phyllo and drip with melted butter; repeat with 1 more sheet of filo. Add another 1/3 of the nut mixture.

4. Stage

Place another sheet of phyllo on the nuts; drip with butter. Top with another sheet and drip with butter. Add the remaining nut mixture.

5. Stage

Top with 2 sheets of phyllo; drip with butter. Add 2 more sheets; drip with butter. Top with the last 2 sheets and drizzle generously with the remaining butter. Cover pan with plastic and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 1 hour.

6. Stage

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

7. Stage

Cut baklava into about 12 diamond-shaped pieces approximately the same size.

8. Stage

Bake in preheated oven until browned and crisp, about an hour.

9. Stage

Place sugar, honey, and cloves in a saucepan. Pour in water. Place pan over medium-high heat and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Whisk in vanilla and orange blossom water.

10. Stage

After baklava has rested 5 minutes, ladle syrup over the top. Cool down to room temperature before serving. Chef John