TURKISH BAKLAWA

 

There is something so satisfying about making your own baklawa at home. This Middle Eastern and Eastern European dessert is rich with butter and sugary sweetness, made with phyllo pastry and filled with a delicious nut mixture. Best enjoyed with a cup of tea, these baklava are not for the light-hearted.

INGREDIENTS

For the pistachio filling:

  • 2 cups pistachio

  • 1/2 cup caster sugar

  • 1 teaspoon mahlab powder

  • 1 teaspoon rose water

  • 1 teaspoon orange blossom water

  • 1 tablespoon sugar syrup

  • 1 teaspoon butter, room temperature

For the walnuts filling:

  • 2 cups walnuts

  • 1/2 cup caster sugar

  • 1 teaspoon mahlab powder

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1 teaspoon rose water

  • 1 teaspoon orange blossom water

  • 1 tablespoon sugar syrup

  • 1 teaspoon butter, room temperature

For the baklava:

  • Phyllo sheets

  • Melted butter

  • Sugar syrup

PREPARATION

1. For the pistachio stuffing, add the pistachios with the sugar in a food processor and pulse until it is roughly chopped and combined. Add the mahlab and pulse again.

2. Put mixture in a bowl and add the rose water, orange blossom water, sugar syrup and butter, and mix to combine until it holds together well. Refrigerate until it is ready for use.

3. For the walnuts stuffing, add the walnuts with the sugar in a food processor and pulse until it is roughly chopped and combined. Add the mahlab and cinnamon and pulse again to combine. 

4. Put mixture in a bowl and add the rose water, orange blossom water, sugar syrup and butter, and mix to combine until it holds together well. Be careful with walnuts, because they absorb water quickly, so you have to work fast. 

5. While you are preparing the fillings, always taste as you go and adjust accordingly. Refrigerate until ready for use.

6. To assemble, generously butter a baking dish, and place the first phyllo sheet at the bottom, then brush it with butter before placing the next one. Repeat until you have placed 10 phyllo sheets at the bottom. Make sure to keep the phyllo sheets covered throughout the process to avoid them drying out. 

7. Place your choice of filling (walnuts or pistachios) over the phyllo sheets. Then top with another phyllo sheet and brush with butter. Repeat until you’ve placed 5 phyllo sheets. 

8. Add more filling on top of the 5 layered phyllo sheets, and then repeat the process until you are satisfied with the number of filling to phyllo sheet layers you have. 

9. The top and final layer should be 10 phyllo sheets to match the bottom layer, and brushed with butter.

10. Then cut them carefully into the shapes you want, but make sure the cuts are deep, because once the baklava is baked, it will be almost impossible to cut.

11. Preheat oven to 160C.

12. Bake for one hour until the baklava turns a crispy golden brown.

13. Once baked, soak it with the syrup immediately while its hot, and leave it to fully absorb the flavor for about 4-6 hours, uncovered and at room temperature.

14. The final pattern of assembling the baklava should be – 10 phyllo sheets, filling, 5 phyllo sheets, filling, 5 phyllo sheets, filling, finally topping with 10 phyllo sheets. Start with 10 and end with 10. 

Notes:
This is a dessert that is made in a hundred different ways, with a variety of different fillings and mixtures.

The Greek use olive oil instead of butter for their baklava.

You can increase the number of phyllo sheets between every layer of nut filling.

You know your ovens best, so use your judgment when baking the dish.

The baklava absorbs a lot of syrup, I recommend not overdoing it with the syrup, so the bottom layer does not get too soggy with sugar syrup.

DessertsSuad Shammabaklava, pistachio, walnut, baklawa, turkish, arabic, dessert, sugar syrup, arab2 Comments