| 1 |
For the pastry, sift the flour and mix in the eggs, salt, and 1 tablespoon water. Knead for 15 minutes, cover with a damp dish towel, and leave for 1 hour to rise. |
| 2 |
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Mix the chopped nuts with sugar and spread this evenly over the pastry. Melt the butter and drizzle over the filling. |
| 3 |
When the pastry dough has been standing for 1 hour, spread the olive oil over the dough, knead again, and leave for 15 minutes more. |
| 4 |
Cut the dough into eight equal pieces and sprinkle each with cornstarch. Now roll each piece into a 6-inch circle, sprinkle with cornstarch, and place in a stack. Leave for 20 minutes. Then roll out the dough again, thinner than phyllo pastry, in rectangles. The layers of dough can be rolled out all together, but they should be alternated each time. Stack the pastry sheets and cut them exactly the same size as your cake pan. |
| 5 |
Prheat a 425 F oven. Brush a 7 by 9-inch shallow cake pan with melted butter and place half the pastry sheets, brushing each one with butter, in the cake pan. Spread the filling evenly, then place the remaining sheets on top, brushing each with butter. Cut through all the layers of the pastry with a sharp knife to make six rectangles, then criss-cross each rectangle to create 24 triangular, bite size shapes. |
| 6 |
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 F and bake for a further 15 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden. |
| 7 |
Meanwhile, for the syrup, heat a generous 1/2 cup water with the sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Chill. |
| 8 |
Remove the baklava from the oven allow to cool in the pan. Pour the chilled syrup over the entire pastry. Allow to cool completely before recutting the shapes. |
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