Just Bee Honey Baklava

If you've ever been to Greece or Turkey on holiday then you'll probably be familiar with Baklava. This sweet delicious treat is made with layers of filo pastry, nuts, spices and a sweet honey syrup. Traditionally in Greece it's made with pistachios and/or walnuts but there are many variations you can buy and also make! We've used our favourite nut mix but feel free to use any of your other favourites (just stick to the same total nut weight of 350g). We've used pre-made filo pastry to save time and make this an easy recipe for anyone to make.

To make our Baklava you will need:

• 200g Granulated sugar
• 1 Medium sized orange
• 175g Just Bee Honey
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

• 150g Pistachio kernels
• 100g Pecans
• 50g Walnuts
• 50g Almonds
• ½ tsp Ground cloves
• 1 ½ tsp Ground cinnamon

• 200g unsalted butter
• 2 x 270g packets (14 sheets) of readymade chilled filo pastry

• A medium saucepan
• A small saucepan
• A medium sized mixing bowl
• A large baking/roasting pan (approximately 40 x 28 x 5cm)
• A silicon pastry brush

Step One: Making the syrup.

To a measuring jug add the juice of the orange, then fill to the 250ml line with fresh water. (giving you 250ml of orange juice and water mix) then pour it into a medium sized saucepan. Next add the sugar and heat gently, stirring occasionally until all the sugar is dissolved.

Then add the honey and vanilla and simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes, stir occasionally and allow it to bubble away, this will reduce the syrup to a thicker consistency. Once done remove from the heat and put aside to cool and thicken further.

Step Two: Preparing the nut filling.

If you have a food processor then you can just throw all the nuts in that and blitz them until you have a nice even chopped consistency. There's quite a lot of nuts to get through, so if you don't have a processor then I find it best to tackle each type of nut on their own. You can chop them, smash them in a bag with a rolling pin... or whatever method works for you! I like a combination of both almost fully ground nuts and some much chunkier pieces too. There's no need to be too fussy but some texture is nice or it will end up as nut paste and that's not really what we are going for.

Add all the chopped and bashed nuts to a mixing bowl then add the cinnamon and ground cloves and give it a mix around so the spices cover all the nuts. (If you aren't keen on ground cloves, you can just leave it out). Then put aside for later.

Step Three: Melting the butter.

Simply melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat, then put aside.

Step Four: Assemble the Baklava!

Now we have everything we need to create the baklava, it might seem a little daunting at first but try not to worry too much and just get stuck in.

First brush the inside of the tin with some melted butter, I highly recommend a silicon brush for all the butter brushing because it's so soft it will make painting the thin pastry a lot easier!

We will be layering 6 sheets of the filo to make a base for the baklava. Add a sheet at a time and brush the entire surface of each sheet of pastry with a thin coat of the melted butter. It took me a few times to realise this but there's no need to worry about wrinkles in the dough and you don't need the pastry to be the exact size of your pan. Don't try and cut it to size, just fold it in and push down the edges until it roughly fits.

When you have your six layers of pastry and butter add half the nut mix (around 200g) on top. Spread it out as evenly as possible by eye using your fingertips. Then add another 4 layers of pasty, again brushing every new sheet with butter.

Next add the rest of the nut mix, if you wish you can keep a very small amount back to sprinkle over the top. Like before, spread it out across the whole top layer of pastry, then continue on with your final 4 layers of pastry and butter. When you are done give the top layer an extra coat of butter and sprinkle any remaining nuts on the top.

It's time to pop the oven on! Gas Mark 4 or 180c (160c for a fan assisted oven).

Step Five: Cutting the Baklava.

It's really important to cut the baklava into pieces now before baking and covering in sticky honey syrup or you could end up in a right mess later on (trust me, I've been there!) So using a sharp knife cut your baklava into nice little rectangles, squares, or diamonds if you are feeling fancy! It doesn't really matter as long as the pieces aren't much more than a 'couple of bites' size as it is very rich and sweet. It's not difficult to cut, just push right down to the bottom of the pan and it will make life so much easier when it comes to removing the baklava later. You really don't want anything joined together when it's all flaky and sticky!

Then pop the tray in the centre of the oven for 35 minutes. It should be a lovely light golden brown on top when it's done.

Step Six: Covering in Syrup.

The secret to crispy baklava is to add cool syrup over the hot pastry. This is why we made the syrup first so it had plenty of time to cool down to room temperature. So take your tray out of the oven and put it on a heatproof surface. Then using a large serving spoon start drizzling the syrup over the top of the baklava. At first it might look like the syrup is just sitting on top but it will start to be drawn in by the hot pastry. Take your time with this and after about half of the syrup has gone, wait for a few minutes before adding the rest. Once all the syrup is on the baklava leave it to fully cool, then remove the baklava from the tin using a fish slice or egg flipper.

Step six: Serving and Storage.

I like to serve my baklava in little cupcake cases, as it gives you something to hold and eat it from. It's also a good way to store it as you can stack it up in an airtight container. But if you don't have cupcake cases you could just put sheets of baking paper or kitchen foil between a few layers.

Baklava will keep nice and crispy in an airtight container for a couple of weeks. You can also freeze it then just defrost at room temperature for a few hours before eating.