Serves 20
You will need a 12x9 inch rectangular baking tin for this recipe
INGREDIENTS
One packet of filo pastry, thawed
1 loaf white bread, crusts cut off
250g butter, melted
450g pecan nuts, blitzed in food processor until fine, stirred with 1 tsp ground cinnamon
220g caster sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
170g honey
Dollar Sweets 100s and 1000s, to decorate
METHOD
Use a little melted butter to grease the base and sides of the tin.
Trim filo sheets to fit the tin (leave 5 sheets slightly larger for the top layer as it tends to shrink when baking).
In a medium saucepan combine the sugar, honey, lemon juice and 180ml of water. Heat over a medium to high heat until boiling, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, then reduce heat to low and boil for an additional 4 mins without stirring. Remove from heat and let the syrup cool while preparing the baklava.
Preheat oven to 160ºC.
Place a sheet of filo into the bottom of the tin, brush with butter. Repeat 10 times (so there are 10 buttered layers of filo).
Top the filo with half the nut filling, flatten, then top with a layer of white bread slices. Brush with butter then repeat with 5 more buttered layers of filo, nuts, bread then 5 buttered filo layers to finish.
Score the top of the pastry into quarters lengthways, then make 4 cuts diagonally to make diamond shapes. Bake the baklava for 1 hour and 15 mins until golden on top.
Remove from the oven and pour the honey syrup evenly over the hot baklava. Allow the baklava to sit, uncovered, overnight to let the syrup to soak through the layers, then sprinkle with 100s and 1000s and cut into diamond shapes.