Baklava

By taniaf

Ingredients

• Syrup:
• 1 lb pistachios and walnuts, ground
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 4 sticks butter, melted
• 16 sheets phyllo dough, cut in half
• 3 cups sugar
• 6-8 oz honey
• 1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Details

Servings 40

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine nuts, cinnamon and breadcrumbs in a bowl. Brush a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with butter. Layer 10 pieces of phyllo in the dish, brushing each piece with butter. Keep rest of dough moist by covering with a damp towel. Sprinkle on a quarter of the nut mixture. Layer 4 pieces of phyllo on top, brushing each layer with butter. Sprinkle with another quarter of nut mixture. Add 4 more phyllo sheets, with butter on each layer, then add another quarter of nut mixture, finish with last 4 pieces of phyllo with utter, and rest of nut mixture.
Layer 10 pieces of phyllo on top of nuts, brushing each with butter, brush top with extra butter. Cut into the baklava to make strips, 2 inches wide. Then make diagonal slices same width apart, to make a diamond pattern. Bake until golden, 1 hour.
Make syrup: bring sugar, honey and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan over medium. Cook 10-15 minutes. Add lemon juice and boil 2 more minutes. Let cool slightly. Pour syrup over warm baklava. Let soak, uncovered at least 6 hours or overnight.