Turkish baklava

Method
Prep:45min  ›  Cook:50min  ›  Ready in:1hr35min 

1. Make the syrup: combine the 300g sugar, water, honey, cinnamon stick and lemon rind in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then lower to a steady simmer and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas 4.
3. In a bowl combine the nuts, remaining sugar and ground cinnamon then put aside.
4. Brush the bottom of a 20x30cm baking tin with melted butter. Lay a sheet in the bottom of the tin, then brush with butter. Repeat with three more sheets, brushing butter between each. Sprinkle 5 tablespoons of nut mixture evenly over the pastry.
5. Cover the nut mixture with another pastry sheet, buttering it and then adding another sheet. Sprinkle 5 tablespoons nut mixture over top, then add another 2 pastry sheets on top, buttering each. Continue sprinkling nuts after every 2 sheets of filo, until all but 4 sheets remain.
6. Use 4 sheets as the top layer, buttering each layer as you are adding to the tray. Before buttering the last sheet tuck in any loose edges around the sides of the tin. Spread some more butter over the top. With a sharp knife, score the top layers of filo to create diamond-shaped slices.
7. Bake in the oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately pour over the syrup. You might have to wait a little for the syrup to go down before adding more syrup but you will get there in the end. Cool completely before serving.

Tip

You will have some nut mixture left over but I always put it in to a sealed bag and store so I can make baklava again another time.

Tin size

You can use two smaller tins, and if the filo sheets are twice as big as the tins, then cut them in half.