Savannah’s Simple Baklava

As I sit here looking out my window at the snow capped mountains of Montana,

I suddenly wonder what is Greece like this time of year?

No, those are not my toes in the waters of Tolo, they are Charlotte’s but that doesn’t matter. Although our tour of Greece took place during Summer last year, we have been enjoying Savannah’s Baklava for 4 or 5 years and no Holiday Season is complete without it! Her yummy recipe is no doubt the result of her love of labs and chemistry…

Who would have guessed we would actually get the opportunity to travel to Greece and spend almost 2 months exploring?? Naturally, we had to taste every sugary Greek Pastry we could during our tour.

Kalampaka, Meteora, Nafpaktos, Galaxidi, Argos, Nafplion, Tolo, Hydra…Every Bakery we came across, we tried the Baklava!

and a few other goodies…

We met lots of wonderful people and had some fun adventures like the day we spent in Galaxidi…. You will have to wait for that story, because this is a special recipe!

Baklava goes great with Greek Coffee while sitting at the base of huge rock towers in Meteora!

Not to mention, you need a little kick to get up all those ancient staircases!

Ingredients:

1 Package (16 oz) Phyllo Dough (thawed)

1 Pound of Chopped Nuts ( a mix of almonds, walnuts and pecans is good) Pistachios are commonly used and loved as well, but pricier.

2 Cups Melted Butter

2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

1 Cup Water

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

3/4 Cup Honey

Directions:

Heat oven to 350. You will need a large 9×13 baking dish. Butter the bottom and sides. Combine nuts and cinnamon in a bowl. Melt butter in a separate bowl. Set this up as an assembly line. Roll out the phyllo and keep it covered with a clean damp kitchen towel as you go. Begin by placing 2 sheets of phyllo on the bottom of the pan. Baste the layer of dough generously with butter then sprinkle a layer of the nut mixture (approx. 3-4 Tbsp.) evenly over the buttered dough. Dough, Butter, Nuts, Dough, Butter, Nuts, Dough, Butter, Nuts….Continue layering until you get to the last of your nuts and dough. Be sure to use 5 or 6 sheets of dough for the very top. Butter the top. With a sharp knife, slice through creating squares or diagonal pieces and Bake for 30 minutes or until it sizzles, puffs and lightly browns. While it bakes, bring the water, sugar and honey to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and pour sugar and honey mixture over the baked goodness. Allow the Baklava to cool and soak it all up! It will turn sticky and should be kept at room temperature, uncovered.