Baklava Recipe

Every country has its own iconic dessert. There's all-American apple pie, of course, while Italy has its cannoli, Great Britain its trifle, and India its gulab jamun. In Greece, of course, it's the delicious, honey-soaked pastry called baklava, although this dessert is also claimed by Turkey and numerous other countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Baklava is not only one of the most widely known dishes, but is also one of the older desserts out there, as it likely dates back nearly 3,000 years to the days of the Assyrian Empire (via Great British Chefs).

Baklava as we know and love it today is a product of the Ottoman Empire, having been perfected in the palace kitchens of 17^th century Istanbul — or Constantinople, as it was known at the time (via Constantinople, City of the World's Desire excerpted in The Washington Post). While you might expect that a dish with such a noble, ancient pedigree would be nearly impossible for a home cook to recreate, recipe developer Erin Johnson, of the food blog Probably in the Kitchen, says "Baklava looks complicated but it's just layering!"

Start out by making the syrup. Johnson says the syrup needs to be cool before it's poured over the pastry, so she always makes it first. Mix the sugar and water together in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the honey and the lemon peel, then bring the mixture to a boil, stirring every so often. Once the liquid comes to a boil, let it boil for 5 minutes without stirring, then remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool.

Johnson says that if you prefer, you can use orange peel in place of the lemon peel, or you could also substitute a teaspoon of either orange or lemon juice for the peel.

You'll need a lot of melted butter to grease your baking dish as well as each sheet of phyllo, so start by melting a whole stick. If you need more, melt just 2 tablespoons at a time. You don't want to use too much, though — Johnson says "One of the common mistakes I have seen with baklava is using too much butter. The pastry doesn't need to be drowning in it — it just needs to have enough to get crispy and brown." She says that the brand of phyllo you use may make a difference as to how much butter you use. You may need just one stick, or you may need a stick plus a few tablespoons.

While the butter is melting, you can preheat the oven to 325 degrees and then get out the baking dish. Johnson advises using a 9" x 13" casserole dish, telling us "it's the exact size of a sheet of phyllo." If your pan is just a bit smaller, she does say you can trim the phyllo with scissors or else just fold it over to fit. Brush the bottom of the casserole dish with butter — now you're ready to start building that baklava!

Bake the baklava in your preheated oven for 1 hour. As soon as it's done, remove it from the oven, then pour the cooled sugar-honey syrup over the entire pan right away. Allow the baklava to sit at room temperature, uncovered, for 4 to 6 hours. This will allow the pastry to absorb all of the syrup.

Baklava is best if you don't refrigerate it. Johnson says it should keep for up to a week at room temperature – honey never expires, after all. Researchers at the University of Illinois (via Food Navigator) say it is a natural preservative, so this helps to keep the pastry fresh. Baklava can also be frozen should you have any leftovers you're unable to eat in a week, but this is something Johnson says "has never once happened in my house."