Bukaj Baklava

Bukaj Baklava (Lebanese Pistachio & Butter Baklava)

Bukaj is a rustic Lebanese baklava from the Levant, distinguished by its generous butter bath between the layers of crisp phyllo and a filling of pistachios scented with rose and orange blossom water. It is cut into diamond or square shapes, soaked in lightly scented syrup, and traditionally served with Arabic coffee.

Prep

30 min

Cook

45 min

Total

75 min

Serves

16 pieces (one 23x33 cm / 9x13 in tray)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1.1 lb) phyllo dough (fil pastry), fresh if available; thawed frozen sheets
• •300 g (1¼ cups) unsalted butter, Lebanese samneh / clarified butter is most traditional; melted
• •300 g (about 2½ cups) raw pistachios, shelled, coarsely ground
• •50 g (scant ½ cup) fine semolina or fine breadcrumbs, helps absorb butter and bind the filling
• •200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar, for the syrup
• •125 ml (½ cup) water, for the syrup
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) fresh lemon juice, prevents syrup crystallisation
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) rose water, preferably Lebanese / Lebanese-style rose water
• •10 ml (2 tsp) orange blossom water
• •10 g (2 tsp) ground mastic (mastiche), optional but traditional; crush with a pinch of sugar before using
• •20 g (¼ cup) whole pistachios, for garnish

Steps

1. 1 Make the syrup first so it is fully cooled before the baklava comes out of the oven: combine sugar and water in a small saucepan, bring to a gentle boil, skim any foam, then simmer 8–10 minutes until it lightly coats a spoon. Stir in lemon juice and simmer 1 minute more. Off the heat, add rose water and orange blossom water. Cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge until needed.
2. 2 Preheat the oven to 175 °C / 350 °F (fan 160 °C / 325 °F). Brush a 23x33 cm (9x13 in) metal tray generously with about 30 g of the melted butter.
3. 3 Make the filling: toss the ground pistachios with semolina and crushed mastic. Set aside.
4. 4 Unroll the phyllo and keep it covered with a lightly damp, clean kitchen towel so the sheets do not dry out and crack.
5. 5 Layer the bottom crust: place one sheet of phyllo in the tray, brush edge to edge with melted butter, then lay the next sheet on top, buttering every layer. Use roughly half the phyllo (about 10–12 sheets for a 23x33 cm tray), buttering each one thoroughly. The traditional Bukaj method is to use plenty of butter — the pastry should look heavy and saturated, not dry.
6. 6 Sprinkle the pistachio–semolina mixture evenly over the buttered base, spreading it corner to corner.
7. 7 Layer the top crust: cover the filling with the remaining phyllo sheets, buttering each one generously in the same way. Press the top layer firmly with your palms so the butter runs into the filling and the layers adhere.
8. 8 With a very sharp knife, score the baklava all the way through the top layers into diamonds or 4 cm (1½ in) squares. Do not wait until after baking to cut — once the syrup hits a whole slab, it will shatter.
9. 9 Drizzle any remaining melted butter along the cut lines so the syrup will seep in evenly later, and place a whole pistachio in the centre of each piece.
10. 10 Bake on the middle rack for 40–45 minutes, until the top is evenly deep golden brown and the edges are well caramelised. The internal temperature at the centre of the tray should read at least 95 °C / 200 °F and the pastry should feel crisp at the edges.
11. 11 As soon as the baklava comes out of the oven, spoon the cold syrup slowly and evenly over the surface so it sizzles slightly and is absorbed rather than pooling. Use roughly equal weights of syrup and baklava — about 400–500 ml of syrup for a tray this size — adjusting to taste.
12. 12 Let the Bukaj rest, uncovered, for at least 6–8 hours (ideally overnight) so the syrup soaks through to the base and the layers set. Do not cover while warm or the phyllo will turn soggy.
13. 13 Re-cut along the scored lines, plate, and serve at room temperature with Arabic coffee or mint tea. Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, Bukaj keeps up to 2 weeks; the flavour actually deepens after a day.