Syrian Walnut Baklava

Name: Syrian Walnut Baklava
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 24 pieces
Cuisine: middle eastern
Ingredients: 13 ounces/367 grams walnuts (3 1/4 cups whole walnuts); 1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar; 1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water; 1 package phyllo dough (1 pound, about 30 sheets, sized as close as possible to 13 x 18 inches), defrosted if frozen; 1 1/2 cups/340 grams clarified butter or ghee, melted; 3/4 cup/150 grams granulated sugar; 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Recipe from Marhaf Homsi and Nawal Wardeh

Adapted by Tejal Rao

Syrian Walnut Baklava — Lisa Nicklin for The New York Times

Total Time: 1½ hours
Rating: 4(105)
Comments: Read comments

Marhaf Homsi learned to make this Syrian-style walnut baklava from his family in Hama. The baklava he and his wife, Nawal Wardeh, now bake in Brooklyn and sell at their online store, Syrian Sweet Refuge, is less intensely sweet than the sticky confection familiar to many Americans. Cut into large squares, as is traditional in Hama, where the couple ran a bakery for 30 years, the baklava is lightly soaked in a lemon sugar syrup, rather than honey. Use the best quality walnuts available and chop them by hand; Mr. Homsi finds that walnuts chopped in a food processor get bruised and overly pulverized, creating a powdery texture. Be sure to leave time to defrost frozen phyllo dough, which takes 2 hours to thaw on the counter. —Tejal Rao

Featured in: Two Bakers Thrive in Brooklyn, Far From Syria’s Turmoil

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Ingredients

Yield:24 pieces

13ounces/367 grams walnuts (3¼ cups whole walnuts)
1teaspoon confectioners’ sugar
½teaspoon orange blossom water
1package phyllo dough (1 pound, about 30 sheets, sized as close as possible to 13 x 18 inches), defrosted if frozen
1½cups/340 grams clarified butter or ghee, melted
¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
1½tablespoons lemon juice

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Chop walnuts by hand into small pieces. (A food processor will bruise and pulverize the walnuts, creating a powdery effect.) Transfer to a bowl and mix with confectioners’ sugar and orange blossom water.
Step 2
Cover phyllo pastry with a clean, lightly damp kitchen towel. Layer a pastry sheet into a 13-by-18-inch pan, securing it in a few places with dabs of clarified butter in the bottom of the pan. Brush sheet lightly with butter before layering on the next sheet. Continue layering butter and sheets; once half the sheets have been used, scatter the walnut mixture evenly over the top, being careful not to rip the pastry or leave any spots uncovered.
Step 3
Layer the remaining sheets, brushing each lightly with butter, including the top one. If your sheets are larger than the pan, trim the stack all at once so the edges are flush with the pan. Cut baklava into 3-inch squares, and pour any remaining butter around the edges. Bake for 40 minutes, or until top is a light golden brown.
Step 4
Meanwhile, prepare simple syrup: Boil granulated sugar and ¾ cup/180 milliliters water together in a small pot over medium-high heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Stir, set aside and let cool to lukewarm.
Step 5
If there is excess butter in the baklava pan, carefully tip it over the sink to drain. While baklava is still hot, drizzle over the lukewarm syrup, being sure to get it in the gaps between pieces. Once completely cool, the baklava is best stored covered at room temperature and eaten within a few days.

Ratings

4 out of 5

105 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Comments

Nancy7 years ago

To keep the baklava longer, pour the syrup on only the squares you plan to serve within a few days. Allow the unused squares to cool, then cover and store in a cool place, and store the syrup in a jar in the refrigerator. Warm both and use them as you need them. The baklava should keep for weeks.

Jeanne7 years ago

NO! You never get the proper texture if you don't pour the syrup on while the baklava is super hot out of the oven. And It will keep for weeks anyway. the sugar is a preservative.

Aly7 years ago

I like to add cinnamon to my nut mixture and my dad whose family came from Aleppo uses rose flower water as the essence instead of orange. My addition is a touch of Cointreau or orange liqueur in the sugar water!

jenbob4 years ago

This was so delicious! The perfect amount of sweetness that allows at least two pieces to eat a time!!

Scott M.7 years ago

Note that the recipe calls for 1 pound of 13x18 inch sheets of phyllo dough. The 1 pound boxes of phyllo dough available at my store had sheets HALF that size - 13x9 inches. So, don't do what I almost did and make baklava twice as thick in dough and walnuts. To get the same ratio of dough and walnuts per square inch as the recipe under these conditions, I had to cut the recipe in half. I didn't have a 13x18" pan anyway.

Deborah VC2 weeks ago

Just saw this note- my family is Syrian and baklava was a holiday tradition in our house. Mom always used 1 lb of filo in a 13x9 pan, a full pound of walnuts and flavored our syrup with orange, sometimes with a piece of lemon and a cinnamon stick thrown in. The ratio of 1 lb of filo to 1 lb of walnuts is devine.

Liese7 years ago

Info for vegans - Just made a half batch with coconut oil instead of butter, it worked great and tastes terrific. I also followed someone's earlier posted idea of using orange liqueur (mine is homemade) instead of orange water, very nice taste came thru. Since I made a half batch it was done at 20 min.

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