A long title for this version of a sweet that is believed to have originated in the Ottoman Empire.
A walk through Paddy’s markets in Sydney, saw me purchasing a variety of dried fruit, nuts and an array of trinkets that I thought would be a good idea at the time, until I came home and had nowhere to store them. The fruits and nuts on the other hand, well they have certainly come in handy in my experimental baking sessions. The nuts I chose for this recipe, were honey and cinnamon coated almonds.
I was also lucky enough to get my hands on some freshly farmed honey from my Mother in law (with her permission). These two beautiful fresh ingredients screamed Baklava to me, and I would suggest that the reason why would be that Ramadan is coming up in the next few months. I know tonnes of people that would enjoy a piece of Baklava and a cup of tea after a long day of fasting, and for my friends that don’t fast, well, you could enjoy them anytime you like.
So, without further ado, herewith my recipe:
Nazzy Bakers Honey and Cinnamon Almond Baklava:
Ingredients:
375g Fillo Pastry
500g crushed honey and cinnamon coated almonds
2 tblsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup of honey
3/4 cups water
2 tblsp Cinnamon powder
1 cup of softened butter
Method:
1) Prepare the syrup by boiling together the honey, sugar, water, lemon juice and cinnamon powder for approximately 8 minutes. Allow the syrup to cool off the heat while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2) Grease and line a loaf tin, and layer the Fillo pastry, one sheet at a time into the tin, brushing each sheet well with butter before adding the next sheet. Once you have layered 8-10 sheets of pastry, add your crushed almonds, and continue to layer 5 sheets of pastry (brushing each sheet with butter before adding the next). Add another layer of the nuts, and continue to layer another 5 sheets of pastry, again brushing each sheet with butter. Repeat this process until your nuts are finished, but remember to leave about 10 sheets of pastry to brush with butter and create the flaky top layer of the Baklava.
* Fillo pastry dries out quickly. To prevent this, cover the pastry when not in use with a damp tea towel.
3) Brush the top layer with butter, and sprinkle over some cinnamon sugar. Cut the Baklava diamond shapes at this stage (before baking)
4) Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius until the pastry is golden brown and cooked.
5) Remove the tin from the oven and pour over the cooled syrup straight away so that the Baklava remains crisp and not soggy. (You May hear a slight sizzle – don’t be alarmed)
* I got a bit worried at this point, as the syrup was taking a while to penetrate the layers. This is normal!
6) Allow yourself to walk away, and let the magic happen for approximately 3 to 6 hours (depending on your level of patience). My breaking point was 3 hours the bare minimum!
7) Break apart the diamond shapes and plate up your gorgeous Baklava. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week! *You probably won’t need to*
Here it is:
I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com
Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!
xx NaZzYbAkEr xx
