Greek Baklava

To prepare this baklava recipe, start by melting the butter in a saucepan over low heat, being careful not to burn it. Using a cooking brush butter the bottom and sides of a baking pan (for this baklava recipe you will need a large baking pan approx. 16×12 inches). Begin by layering the sheets of phyllo on the bottom of the baking dish to form the base of the baklava. Layer the sheets one at a time, making sure to sprinkle each one with melted butter. Use about 10-12 layers on the bottom side of the baklava.

In a large bowl, mix the chopped walnuts, the cinnamon and grounded clove. Sprinkle the walnut mixture over the phyllo base and continue forming the top of the baklava. Top the walnuts with the rest phyllo sheets (10 of them), sprinkling each one with melted butter and brush the top of the baklava with enough butter. You could also try layering the Baklava, adding a couple of sheets in between layers of filling if you’d like your baklava with extra nuts!

Place the baklava in the fridge for 15 minutes to make it easier to cut into pieces. Remove the baklava from the fridge and using a sharp knife cut the pastry all the way down into pieces. If you fancy the taste of clove, place one whole clove berry into the middle of each baklava piece and sprinkle the top with some cold water. Place the baklava in preheated oven at 300^oF on the lower rack and bake for about 1 1/2- 2 hours, until all the phyllo layers are crisp and golden.

Prepare the syrup for the baklava. Into a small pot mix all the ingredients for the syrup and bring to the boil. Boil for about 2 minutes until the honey is dissolved and let it simmer for another 5min. As soon as the baklava is ready, ladle slowly the hot syrup over the hot baklava, until it is fully absorbed. Let the baklava cool down completely and serve after the syrup has soaked through.

Enjoy!