Levantine · Dessert
Baklava
Phyllo rolled around walnuts on a dowel, then scrunched like a curtain — the crinkles triple the crisp surface area and drink the syrup evenly; faster than layered baklava and just as impressive
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- Phyllo sheets — 300 g (about 15)
- Unsalted butter, clarified — 180 g
- Walnut halves — 280 g
- Sugar (filling) — 30 g
- Ground cinnamon — 4 g
- Fine sea salt — 1 g
- Sugar (syrup) — 300 g
- Water — 220 ml
- Honey — 40 g
- Lemon juice — 15 ml
- Rose water — 8 ml
- Pistachio dust — 20 g
Method
- Syrup: sugar, water, honey and lemon simmered 8 min (103 °C); add rose water off heat; cool fully.
- Pulse walnuts with sugar, cinnamon and salt to coarse rubble.
- Lay one phyllo sheet, butter lightly, and scatter 18 g walnut mix along the near edge.
- Roll loosely around a thin dowel or wooden spoon handle; scrunch both ends toward the centre like an accordion, then slide off.
- Pack rolls snugly in a buttered tray; brush tops heavily with remaining butter.
- Bake at 175 °C for 35–40 min to deep gold.
- Cool syrup over hot rolls; rest 3 h.