Have some free time? Spend it baking your first pan of baklava

Christmas week has arrived whether we are ready or not. Lump me into the latter group, but I’m doing my best to pull it together. One signature dessert I make each year is baklava. It’s a phyllo dough layered dessert with chopped pecans in the middle and sweet syrup drizzled on top. About as rich as it comes when it comes to sweets, it’s a beloved dessert by family and friends. When I bake a pan, I usually post it on social media, and many people quickly offer their sampling services. Luckily, a pan makes about 120 pieces, so there’s plenty to go around.

Making baklava is a long process that takes a couple of days. Good things cannot be rushed. Obviously, you need to gather ingredients first. I purchase pecans at the store and use a food processor to chop them, but not too fine.

Make or purchase your ghee, which is a type of clarified butter.

Also make your syrup a day ahead of your baking day, as long as it’s not raining or snowing. I know this sounds like an old wives tale, but making syrup is similar to making candy, so just listen to Sitti Marguerite (Sitti is Arabic for grandma) who taught her granddaughter, Joan, who had me over to make baklava years ago. You see, every Sitti makes things a touch different. I never made baklava with mine because she passed away 11 years ago, and at that point, I wasn’t interested in making this time-intensive dessert.

The traditional way of making baklava is by layering several sheets of phyllo in plenty of melted ghee, tucking the corners in and rolling it into a log that will fit perfectly into your pan. This recipe makes things easier because you use an entire package of phyllo on the bottom layer, layering each piece and brushing it with melted ghee, and then after the package is empty, adding your pecan filling, and then another entire package of phyllo. You do trim the phyllo to the size of your half-sheet pan with a sharp knife, cutting right through the plastic and phyllo so it fits just right. And do be sure to use a slightly wet paper towel and flour sack towel over the phyllo as you layer it. Phyllo is very thin dough and it dries out quickly.

I could go on forever with details of how to make this delectable dessert, but if you read the recipe carefully, you will have success. Since we are all having quiet holidays, you might as well dig in and make a pan of baklava. Whomever you share it with will thank you immensely. This dessert is good any time of day, and especially with a cup of coffee in the morning. The coffee balances the baklava’s sweetness.

Here’s wishing you and yours some sweetness this holiday season.

A version of this story originally published in the Wichita Eagle.

This story was originally published January 25, 2023 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Have some free time? Spend it baking your first pan of baklava."