World Flavors Cookbook

Bakllava (Albanian Nut Pastry)

Name: Bakllava (Albanian Nut Pastry)
Cook time: 60 min
Cuisine: Albania
Ingredients: 1 head of phyllo dough (or 40 handmade sheets); 500g butter, melted; 500g walnuts, ground; Syrup: 1kg sugar, 600ml water, lemon slices, vanilla

Many layers of buttery, paper-thin phyllo pastry filled with ground walnuts and soaked in a sweet lemon-scented syrup.

Cuisine: Albania

Ingredients

1 head of phyllo dough (or 40 handmade sheets)
500g butter, melted
500g walnuts, ground
Syrup: 1kg sugar, 600ml water, lemon slices, vanilla

Instructions

1. Layer 3-4 sheets of dough in a tray, brushing each with butter. 2. Sprinkle walnuts. Repeat until all dough is used. 3. Cut into diamond shapes. 4. Bake at 160°C for 1 hour until golden. 5. Boil syrup for 10 minutes and let cool. 6. Pour cool syrup over hot baklava. Let soak for 24 hours.