Zagori style baklava
What characterizes a baklava is milk butter. And in Epirus, it goes without saying that pure butter made from 100% fresh mutton and goat milk is the only way to go. Try it with a politiko filo pastry sheet in order to make your baklava crispy and fragrant!
NUMBER OF
20 PORTIONS
DIFFICULTY
MEDIUM
WAITING
TIME
15 MINUTES
BAKING
TIME
90 MINUTES
Ingredients
- 4 packages of alfa "politiko" filo crust
- 50 cloves
- FOR THE FILLING
- 1 cup milk butter
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 kg of walnuts
- 5 tbsp. breadcrumbs
- 5 tbsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch of cloves
- FOR THE SYRUP
- 900 g sugar
- 750 g water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 lemon
- ½ cup lukewarm honey
Execution
Begin by defrosting the filo sheets at room temperature for about 2 hours. For this recipe, you will use a large, deep baking pan that will fit the open filo sheets. Otherwise, you will need to measure the size of the pan and cut out the edges. Chop the nuts in a blender and place them in a bowl. Add all the filling ingredients. Put aside 1 roll of 6 sheets to use at the end. In a bowl, melt the butter with the oil. In a well-greased baking pan, spread 6 politiko filo crusts and sprinkle them with butter and oil. Make sure the sheets are layered on top of each other, without protruding and wrinkling. Sprinkle with a layer of filling, making sure it covers the entire surface. Cover with 2 greased sheets and add a new layer of filling. Continue the process with 2 greased sheets and a layer of filling until the ingredients are finished. Finally, cover the baklava with the 6 politiko filo pastry sheets, after buttering them in between. Score the filo pastry sheets with a sharp knife. Sprinkle the scraps and the surface with the remaining butter. Place 1 clove in each piece. Use your fingers to sprinkle a small amount of water over the surface. Bake in a preheated oven at 150°C on the lower rack at resistor mode, for 90'. The crunching sound of the baklava is a sign that it is well cooked throughout. It must have a fine golden-brown color. Prepare the syrup while the baklava is nearly done baking. You will pour hot syrup over the hot baklava as soon as it comes out of the oven. Thus, the syrup will be absorbed, and the sheets will remain crispy. Boil the ingredients for the syrup in a saucepan. Leave out the honey. Stir and when it comes to a boil, cook for another 4-5'. Remove the lemon. As the baklava comes out hot from the oven, pour warm syrup all over it. The sizzle of the filo sheets must be heard as the syrup is absorbed. Pour the syrup slowly and steadily. When you have used up all the syrup, warm up the honey and sprinkle on the surface. Let the baklava cool thoroughly overnight. Cut and serve the next day, like all syrupy sweets.