Baklava with Orange Zest, or at Least My Version of It.
Baklava with Orange Zest
Layers of walnuts, orange and honey - irresistible
I’m not an expert on making baklava, but I know what I like, and I like my version of it very much.
I do admit to going overboard with how many nuts I use and maybe the honey too, but then I’ve never been one to skimp on the sweet!
This is another one of my recipes that you can play with, just adjust cooking times accordingly.
You can:
Leave out the orange.
Add lemon peel
Use less honey
Use orange honey
Change the type of nuts
Add more layers
A great thing about making a baklava, is the make ahead factor.
This is often on my dessert list when I’ve a lot of other things to be made because it ticks two of my good recipe boxes.
Tastes great and can be made a few days ahead giving me lots of time to get those last-minute things together.
Go on, give it a go and enjoy your sweet life.
Baklava with Orange Zest
What You Need
150ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
400g Walnuts
1 Pack of Filo Pastry – or 7 large sheets – See Tip Box
1 Jar of Orange Rind in Syrup or Candied Orange Peel – See Tip Box
350ml Runny Honey
Orange peel in syrup from Lidl
How It’s Done
Heat the oven to 160c
Place the walnuts and orange rind into a food processor and grind until they are very small pieces – See Tip Box
Split the walnuts and orange mix into three and set aside.
Place three sheets of the filo pastry onto the bottom of the oven proof dish.
Spoon a third of the walnuts onto the pastry and top with two extra sheets.
Next layer of walnut, topped with two sheets of pastry
Last layer of walnuts topped with two layers of the filo pastry.
Cut the pie into portions. - See Tip Box
Starting with the cut edges, drizzle the oil into the cuts and then the remainder over the pastry top.
Cover tightly with foil and place the dish into the hot oven to cook for 1 hour.
After an hour, remove the foil and place it back into the oven until cooked all the way through and the top is golden brown all other.
Once cooked, go over the cuts again with a sharp knife.
Heat the honey for a few seconds in the microwave until it’s just warm
Pour the honey over the top pf the pastry starting with the cuts.
Let the baklava cool before serving.
A large one for all the family
Tip Box
Adjust the size – This recipe makes a large Baklava with lots and lots of walnut filling, but if that’s too much for you, half the ingredients and the cooking time to make it smaller
Orange Rind – I used Greek week at Lidl to get my hands on a jar, but it’s not too difficult to find it in supermarkets. If you can’t go for candied orange peel and don’t hold back for that tangy orange taste
Filo Pastry – Depending on the size of your oven proof dish, or how big you want to make it, will determine how many sheets of filo you will need. For the recipe you will need 7.
Walnuts – I love to use walnuts in as many things as I can, but this recipe can be adapted to use other nuts if you prefer.
Cooking- 1) All ovens are different so adjust cooing times accordingly
2) If you’re changing up the recipe, adjust the cooing time to suit the change.
Cutting -A sharp pointed knife works best when cutting through the pastry
Three layers of delicious walnuts, orange and honey.
