Baklava recipe is one of the Greek recipes which is a baked cuisine created consisting of layers of crisp phyllo sheets sandwiched between layers of a sweet, spiced nut mixture. The entire item is then covered with a fragrant syrup that contains honey, lemon, and cinnamon.
This amazing recipe takes a little while to prepare and is not suited for beginner bakers, but if you can assemble a cake successfully on your own, this is a fantastic next step in your baking education.
This honey baklava recipe is a flaky, crispy, and soft American/Turkish treat that is not too sweet. It is like having a party with one bite in your mouth. Anyone who has had this Turkish dessert understands why. The tastes and textures of this homemade baklava are one-of-a-kind and amazing.
American/Turkish Baklava is a dessert created with layers upon layers of butter-brushed phyllo pastry with cinnamon-scented walnuts in the centre. After baking, you pour a citrus honey syrup over the phyllo to absorb up.
What’s the origin of Baklava?
The baklava recipe is a tasty phyllo dessert pastry which is popular in the Middle East. It dates backs to a Turkish origin but however many civilizations claim it as their own.
It is served mostly in the Greek and the Lebanese restaurants, which now is a popular dessert in various former Ottoman nations as well.
Baklava in Greece and Beyond
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Greek immigrants travelled to U.S. carried their baklava recipes along with them, while it was through this immigration that the U.S people came to know about the Baklava dish.
Many civilizations, however, have some version of baklava in their heritage presence that dates back a decade or so.
Researchers are uncertain about where the recipe actually originated from, although many point to Turkey due the earliest existence of the recipe in those regions. The variation that has been passed down from numerous civilizations is probably what makes the one that you have acquainted with today—thin phyllo layers packed with mixture of nuts, flavors of spices, and sugar and topped with a honey-sweet syrup.
Baklava Flavors and Recipes Vary Across the regions.
- Baklava is usually produced in Turkey by filling each layer of the dough with variety of nuts.
- Southeastern Turkey, Gaziantep is quite famous about its pistachio baklava.
- The baklava recipe in Armenia is seasoned using cinnamon or cloves.
- Greek based baklava is meant to be baked with 33 layers of dough which representing the life of Christ’s. But you can still add more than 33 layers, it is just your choice.
- A drier form baklava which is prepared and served in small diamond-shape pieces flavored using some rose water as an Iranian cuisine.
- Baklava made from the sheets of phyllo dough, crumbled walnuts, butter and sugar syrup which is then shaped as into lozenge pieces in the Lebanese and Iraqi regions.
Baklava is a Great Recipe to Bake
Honey Baklava is sweet, but not too so. It has the correct proportions—not too many nuts, but just enough dough to keep it all together. This recipe calls for people craving sweet tooth. Since only a few ingredients are needed in the shopping cart to get started, it is make-ahead friendly because it does need to sit for a bit once it is produced.
The main ingredients in this dish are honey, walnuts, and phyllo dough, with some citrus and spices to round out the flavor. The nicest part about this baklava recipe is that it can be stored at room temperature for up to a week or frozen. If you wish to send some to a loved one, baklava travels well and won’t disappoint.
Baklava is all about layering and putting things together. It is not a difficult dish to prepare but is time and labor intensive. Let’s begin by gathering the ingredients for a delicious dish that calls for homemade baklava, a recipe that will provide enough for a party that will appreciate your efforts.
Cooking Time
It will take approx. 90-120 minutes to make baklava dessert.
Servings
30 pieces
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
- 313 calories
- 21g fat
- 30g Carbs
- 4g Protein
Ingredients required for Baklava recipe.
- 16 oz phyllo dough, kneaded according to package directions.
- 1 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted butter.
- 1 lb finely chopped walnuts (about 4 cups)
- Optional garnish: melted chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.
- Optional garnish: finely ground pistachios
To Make the sugar syrup
- A cup of water
- 1 granulated sugar cup
- 1/2 cup of honey
- 1/2 lemon juice
- A stick of cinnamon
Or you can directly use maple syrup over the hot baklava recipe if you enjoy having maple syrup. The baklava recipe is mostly all about layering and assembly. It is not a difficult dish to make, but it does take some time. I’m sure you can put together the best baklava than any store-bought baklava recipe. You will probably love baklava once you make this recipe.
Here is How to Put Them Together
Baklava Tips Before Getting Started
The baklava recipe is a perfect go to dessert.
Let’s see some of the tips and tricks that will help you to making a wonderful recipe.
- Chop the nut mixture in a grinder for baklava filling for saving up some time.
- Make the dough ahead and use frozen phyllo dough.
- Make sure sheets of the phyllo stay moist while the process of layering phyllo by keeping, covering using a damp cloth or towel.
- Are you concerned about tearing off the phyllo dough layers while brushing butter? Don’t be. If you are concerned, spray some melted butter onto the phyllo dough between the phyllo layers instead of using a brush.
- If the phyllo dough becomes sticky over your hands, keep a bowl of room temperature water nearby. To keep your fingertips moist throughout.
- When time to eat, its preferred to serve (and to store) the baklava dish in the cupcake liners to avoid sticky fingers.
The thing that most often scares people away to make this recipe is handling the tissue paper-like filo phyllo dough sheets. Believe it, making baklava is not that difficult if you remember a few simple tips.
Working Tips with Phyllo Dough and Phyllo Sheets
The tissue paper-thin phyllo dough is delicate and rapidly breaks if not handled properly, but the result is merciful, so don’t be concerned if it all falls apart. You can make a mess of dried-out phyllo and butter for your first attempt, and the baklava will still taste delicious.
- Refrigerate your phyllo dough to defrost– Place the box of phyllo dough in the refrigerator to defrost the night before you plan to prepare your baklava. If you use frozen phyllo, it will crack.
- Carefully unwrap it– The phyllo is frequently wrapped in plastic and should be easy to unwrap. Leave the larger plastic sheet underneath it and attempt to unroll it in the location where you will be using it, so you don’t have to relocate it after it is put out.
- Cover with a wet tea towel– Place a dampened cotton or linen tea towel over the unrolled sheets. Important: Make sure the towel is thoroughly wrung out. If the towel is too wet, it will stick to the sheets.
- Keep it hidden– After removing a sheet of phyllo from the stack, always replace the tea towel.
- Handle with care– Be gentle with the sheets. Keep the stack close to your baking dish so you don’t have to transport it far once you lift a sheet off.
- Rips and tears are OK – The phyllo dough rips readily, which is OK. Because you are layering the dough, a rip or ragged edge here and there is fine and will likely be buried within the baklava. Even if your last piece splits somewhat, it will just add to the dish’s rustic, multi-layered appearance.
- Phyllo is being trimmed – Because phyllo comes in a variety of sizes, a single sheet may not fit into your baking pan. Trimming the phyllo to fit is one option: Simply measure the inside of your pan and trim the entire stack to fit using scissors.
- Trimming is not always required– You can use your sheets without trimming even if they aren’t a perfect fit for your pan. Simply fold them over to fit, making sure to stagger the folds so you don’t create extra layers in one spot.
- Use only a small amount of butter– It is not necessary to completely coat melted butter or unsalted butter on each layer to make baklava. Brush the butter on sparingly, without covering every inch of the surface. If you press too hard, the phyllo sheet will be dragged or torn.
Now that you know the baklava ingredients and precautions to handle the phyllo dough, let’s get started to make the real Greek baklava recipe.
Step 1
Kneed the phyllo dough as per the package directions (it is ideal to do it overnight and store in the fridge, then take it out next day 1 hour to bring down to room temperature).
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 and butter the tin you will use for baking.
Step 3
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine 4 cups finely chopped walnuts and 1 tsp cinnamon stick.
- Combine some walnuts, chopped cinnamon, cloves, and pinch of salt in the food processor: Pulse 10 times, or until the ingredients are coarsely ground/finely chopped. That is the stuffing. It is so simple.
- Once you have finished using a food processor to chop the nuts into small pieces, be careful not to process them into a paste. Put them in a bowl with honey and a pinch of salt and set aside.
Step 4
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Brush the corner sides of the phyllo dough with the butter.
Step 5
- Half the first bag of filo pastry sheets (so that they fit the tin). Brush melted butter over the sheets and place it in the pan. Layer another sheet on top and brush with butter again; repeat until the entire pack is utilized.
- Layer 10 sheets of phyllo, one on top of another, into a baking pan, followed by another layer of nuts, coat layers with butter.
- Spread the honey and the mixture of nuts over the pastry and use the back of a spoon to gently push it down. Continue layering and buttering by opening the second filo packet, cutting it in half, and layering once more. When you get to the last sheet, pour any remaining butter over the top to complete.
- After you have completed layering the phyllo in 10 layers, add one fifth of the mixture of walnut to the pan, distributing it uniformly: you’ll need around 2/3 cup mixture of walnuts for each nut layer.
To fill the entire pan, follow these steps:
- 10 butter layered phyllo sheets, 3/4 cup mixture of nuts.
- 5 butter layered phyllo sheets, 3/4 cup mixture of nuts,
- 5 butter layered phyllo sheets, 3/4 cup mixture of nuts,
- 5 butter layered phyllo sheets, 3/4 cup mixture of nuts,
- 5 butter layered phyllo sheets, 3/4 cup mixture of nuts,
- 10 butter layered phyllo sheets, 3/4 cup mixture of nuts,
- 10 butter layered phyllo sheets, buttered on top.
Brush some melted butter on each layer of thawed phyllo dough: you don’t need to brush each layer thoroughly. Just a quick swish across the surface several times to cover the majority of it.
Step 6
Cut the puff paste dough to suit the baking sheet. The puff paste dough package can embody 5-6 rolls with a complete of 40-50 sheets that ought to be measured to the scale of the pan and gently cut if they are available out of the pan. Trim one stack at a time, then cowl with a humid towel to forestall drying.
Step 7
Once the pastry has been bedded, cut the items with a pointy knife into whichever kind you would like you can build squares, diamonds, triangles, or the other form you wish.
Step 8
Bake the pastry for fifty minutes, or till the topnotch and edges square measure golden:
Reduce the warmth to 150°C/130°C fan/gas and bake for forty-five minutes a lot of.
Allow the pastry to cool down for a minimum of quarter-hour.
Step 9
Meanwhile, begin creating the sirup. during a pan, mix honey, sugar, cinnamon, orange peels and lemon rind in some water and add them to the boiling water.
Then cut back to low heat for five minutes to alter the cinnamon and citrus flavors to infuse the sirup. Keep stirring till the sugar gets dissolved, cut back to medium/low heat and still boil for four minutes while not stirring.
Gently heat till the sugar has dissolved, then boil for 8-10 minutes, or till the mixture has reduced to the consistency of liquid honey. Take it off the heat and keep it aside.
Step 10
Remove the citrus peels and cinnamon stick from the sirup and equally pour the new sirup over the pastry permitting it to run into the lines you’ve got cut. don’t enable the sirup to cool down. Let the pastry cool fully when taking it out of the kitchen appliance then pour the honey sirup.
Once you pour the sirup over the baklava; it ought to soak it up in real time. The sirup should be hot once poured over the pastry, as an alternative it’ll not soak properly.
Allow it to soak completely before serving.
Step 11
Now comes the problematic part: let the pastry at temperature for eight hours, undisturbed, allowing the sirup to totally permeate and allow layers of the flavors to merge.
Allow the pastry to take a seat at temperature for 4-6 hours or nightlong to permit the sirup to infiltrate and soften the layers.
Baklavas are often flat-topped with finely cut kooky or drizzled with liquefied chocolate.
Store at temperature for one to a pair of weeks, coated with a towel.
To avoid wetness, you must leave it uncovered. The pastry is currently able to eat. There is square measure such a big number of delicious layers of style. this is often while not a doubt our favorite pastry formula.
The pastry is often kept at temperature for up to per week, for an alternative choice you can refrigerate for three weeks to even till three months. Wrap the pastry tightly in associate degree airtight instrumentality to forestall it from fascinating unhealthy flavors.
How to Store Baklava?
Baklava includes a fairly extended time period because of its high sugar content. it’ll detain associate degree airtight jar for concerning time period. If you wish your pastry crisp, keep it within the stowage. select the electric refrigerator if you favor it chewy.
Can You Freeze Baklava?
Yes, honey pastry, or any pastry, are often frozen. enable the pastry to cool down fully before wrapping it during a layer of wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. For additional protection, add another layer of aluminum foil. Store within the electric refrigerator for up to a few months. Thaw within the icebox nightlong.
How to cut Baklava Properly?
Another key thought is to own a razor-sharp knife existing. to confirm that each one of the items square measures separated, the pastry ought to be sliced before baking and recut when baking. a pointy knife is important.
Is your Baklava Falling Apart?
The proper layering of pastry is important to preventing this dish from falling apart. the right quantity of puff paste sheets should be stacked to support the burden of the kooky and syrup.
Can you use Rose Water on Baklava?
Even though it’s not mentioned within the formula higher than you’ll add perfume whereas layering or at the tip sprinkle it on the highest layer if you fancy the essence of it. it’s instructed to place one teaspoon perfume and 1/4 cup water during a spritz bottle and mist the nut layers before starting following puff paste layers. Here comes the distinction between Greek pastry and Lebanese pastry formula.
The biggest distinction between Greek and Lebanese pastry recipes is that the ingredients accustomed prepare the sirup. Greek pastry sirup is primarily created with honey that has been seasoned with cinnamon and juice.
Sugar, water, rose water, and typically orange blossom water is employed to create Lebanese pastry sirup. Whatsoever, Walnuts square measure the favored nut in each country.
How do not Make Baklava Become Soggy?
The butter brushing, not the sauce, causes soggy pastry. enable to cool down fully before serving; don’t store within the electric refrigerator or cowl. If you allow it out on the counter, it’ll flip soggy.
Is it Possible to Make Baklava Without Nuts?
Yes. Some recipes use cut apricots or coconut, which are not ancient nonetheless one will invariably experiment with the ingredients.
Hopefully, this formula and its history inspire you and urge you to do out the pastry formula reception by yourself. it’s easier than you surprise and really satisfying. you’ll invariably attempt to build pastry together with your combination of kooky and fillings, simply the actual fact that it ought to be tempting for you to eat a little containerful of it. This formula has that essence of tempting you, provides it a try!
