Traditional Baklava Recipe (Greek Cypriot Style)
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A traditional almond baklava recipe with layers of buttered pastry, chopped nuts, and soaked in a spiced honey syrup. This authentic recipe comes from a Greek friend and yields a large dish of baklava that’s simple to serve in approximately sixteen diamond-shaped portions. It’s also very easy to make and utterly decadent!
Baklava is a dessert that expresses the joy of a rich and bountiful summer harvest. It’s layered with crunchy almonds and nuts, layers of filo pastry, and utterly dripping with a spiced honey syrup. This is a traditional baklava recipe from Cyprus, made with honey, cinnamon, cloves, and almonds. It’s beautifully buttery, and although it takes about an hour to make, the longer you let the baklava infuse, the more delicious it becomes.
The first time I had this Middle Eastern treat was in the airport in Greece on my way back home from a trip. I saw it multiple times, thought about trying some, and didn’t in the end. For two weeks, I’d somehow missed out on trying it and nearly kicked myself afterward. It’s so delicious! I mentioned this to a Greek friend, and she kindly shared her recipe with me. It’s different from the smaller baklava pieces I had in Greece, and I’ve been told it is a more traditional way to make baklava in Cyprus. It tastes just as incredible and is much quicker to make.
What is Baklava?
I had the dish again when a Cypriot friend offered to make her family’s traditional almond baklava recipe. The pastry practically floated in a dish of sweet syrup, and instead of the mini-rolled sweets I’d had in Greece, she made a whole dish and then cut it into diamonds. I think making it in a full dish might be easier to prepare and serve, so I have stuck to this design myself.
If you’ve not had baklava before, it’s a honey dessert with a long history in the Mediterranean. Imagine layers of filo pastry and nuts smothered in a spiced honey syrup. There are many ways to make and customize baklava, and usually, you’ll find it as a bite-sized treat. The traditional baklava recipe I share below is one that you’d make to serve for gatherings and family dinners. It’s a large baklava made with almonds and sweet syrup, which you cut and serve directly from the dish.
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Traditional Baklava Recipe
Ingredients
Honey Syrup
- 1.5 cups honey (510 g)
- 1.5 cups white sugar (330 g)
- 2 TBSP lemon juice (35 g)
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 5 cloves (whole)
Nut Filling
- 2 cups chopped almonds (180 g)
- 2 cups chopped mixed nuts (your choice) (180 g)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup white sugar (110 g)
- 1 cup salted butter (200 g)
Pastry
- 24 sheets filo pastry (1 x 250 g (8 oz) pack)
- 1/2 cup salted butter (100 g)
Instructions
Make the Spiced Honey Syrup
- Place all the syrup ingredients in a saucepan and heat on low to medium until dissolved. Stir regularly.
- Bring the heat to medium and allow the syrup to simmer for five minutes. Stir regularly.
- Take the syrup off the heat, remove the cloves, and allow it to cool.
Make the Nutty Filling
- Chop the nuts by hand or in a food processor. They should be roughly chopped rather than finely ground.
- Although optional, you can toast them for an extra nutty flavor. Lightly brown them in a pan or toast them on an oven tray. Watch them and stir regularly to prevent burning.
- Place all the nut filling ingredients into a bowl and stir well.
Layer the Baklava
- Preheat the oven to 350°F /180°C or 160°C for fan-assisted ovens.
- Melt the 1/2 cup of butter and, using a basting brush, grease the bottom and sides of the dish.
- Begin layering. Place a single pastry sheet in the dish and then brush it lightly with melted butter. Repeat this process until you have eight sheets of buttered filo in the dish.
- On top of this layered pastry, spoon half of the nut filling and spread it evenly.
- Next, butter and layer eight more pieces of filo pasty.
- Spread the remaining nut filling on top.
- To finish, add eight more layers of buttered filo pastry on top.
Cook the Baklava
- Using a sharp knife, score the top of the pastry in a diamond design. Three horizontal lines lengthwise and then diagonal lines*.
- Sprinkle the top of the pastry with cold water and then place it in the oven. The water helps to keep the top layer of filo from puffing up.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300°F /150°C or 140°C for fan-assisted ovens. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Soak the Baklava
- Take the baklava out of the oven and cut through the scored lines all the way to the bottom of the dish. Next spoon the cooled syrup all over the pastry while it’s still hot, making sure it drizzles down every cut.
- Cover lightly with a tea towel or tin foil and let the syrup infuse into the pastry for six to twenty-four hours. The longer, the better. Left at room temperature, this traditional baklava recipe will last a whole week.
Such a yummy recipe! I forgot to score the top before baking, and the pastry got a little flaky/messy when I cut it after. I’ll remember for next time!