Name: Bosanska Baklava
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Bosnia
Ingredients: 20 phyllo pastry sheets; 400 g walnuts, finely chopped; 2 tbsp sugar, for the filling; 200 g unsalted butter, melted; 400 g sugar, for the syrup; 400 ml water, for the syrup; 1 tsp lemon juice; 2 cloves, optional, for the syrup

Bosanska baklava follows the familiar layered walnut-and-phyllo format found across the former Ottoman world, but it's tied specifically to religious holidays and celebrations in Bosnia rather than an everyday sweet.

The hot-pastry, cold-syrup rule is the one detail that makes or breaks it; getting that backward is the most common reason homemade baklava turns soggy.

Part of our 20 best Bosnian recipes list.

method

Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F), and butter a baking dish.

Mix the chopped walnuts with the 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Layer about a third of the phyllo sheets in the dish, brushing each one with melted butter as you go.

Scatter half the walnut mixture evenly over the layered phyllo.

Add another third of the phyllo sheets, brushing each with butter, then scatter the remaining walnut mixture.

Layer the remaining phyllo sheets on top, brushing each with butter, finishing with a generously buttered top layer.

Cut the baklava into diamond or square pieces before baking, cutting all the way through to the bottom.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp.

Meanwhile, make the syrup by boiling the sugar, water, lemon juice and cloves together for 5 minutes, then let cool.

Pour the cooled syrup evenly over the hot baklava as soon as it comes out of the oven, letting it soak in fully before serving.

chef's tips

The classic rule is to pour cold syrup over hot baklava, or hot syrup over cold baklava, never both hot; mismatching the temperatures is what keeps the pastry crisp instead of soggy.
Cutting the baklava into pieces before baking, not after, makes for much cleaner slices once the syrup has soaked in.