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Authentic Baklava Recipe Turkiye, Asia
JUMP TO RECIPEWe strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
This famous dessert consists of three essential components – phyllo dough, a nutty filling, and syrup. As opposed to the simplicity of the ingredients, making the dough is a difficult endeavour that takes some practice to master. Many recipes today will skip the dough-making process entirely and opt for pre-made phyllo sheets instead. Today, there are numerous different types of baklava with different fillings, but the Turkish original uses pistachios with no added flavorings or spices. Other nutty fillings are used depending on the region, such as walnuts and hazelnuts, which are then paired with spices like cinnamon or cardamom. The syrup that is poured over at the end is nothing more than water and sugar, however some like to add lemon juice, as it prevents the sugar from crystallizing.
Pair with
Cooking tips
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dough
Although the quality of the phyllo dough is essential to making a good, original baklava making it can be a bit of challenge for a beginner, so if you’re in a rush, or simply are not so meticulous in following the exact recipe, phyllo dough can be bought in every store. -
filling
With pistachio being the original filling — at least for the Turkish baklava — other types of nut fillings are used; like walnuts and hazelnuts paired with different spices such as cinnamon or cloves. You can also play with the texture of the nuts to get a different flavor; from finely chopped and coarse to finely milled. -
syrup
To experiment with the taste try adding lemon, orange juice or rosewater when preparing the syrup for baklava. Also, things like cinnamon and other spices enrich the flavor of the syrup. Lemon is often added to help prevent sugar from crystallizing. -
shape
Although the diamond-shaped version is the best-known one, baklava can be cut in more ways than one. Diamond-shaped, rectangle and triangle-shaped, rolled; the possibilities are endless. -
additional tips
If you want to know if the baklava you’re eating is a good one, the secret lies in the sound it makes while you eat it, precisely bite it. It should make a crunchy sound on the outside with the middle being soft. Baklava should not be soggy. Getting a heartburn after eating baklava is not a good sign; it means the ingredients used in preparing it are not of particular quality.
Recipe variations
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Turkish Baklava
Ready in 2h 15minTurkish baklava, as in the recipe adapted from Sultan's Kitchen: A Turkish Cookbook by Ozcan Ozan, typically has a pistachio filling. The recipe states clarified butter as an ingredient used to brush the layers of phyllo dough, which can easily be made at home. You will need first to melt a pound of butter over low heat. Once melted, you then remove the foam on the top and pour the yellow liquid in a separate bowl while making sure the milk solids that have set on the bottom of the pan are not disturbed. One pound of butter will give 1 1/2 cups of clarified butter necessary for the recipe.
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Turkish Baklava with Homemade Phyllo Dough
Ready in 4h 40minAdapted from the gastronomy book Turkish Cuisine With Timeless Recipes, this recipe shows how to make traditional Turkish baklava from scratch. It gives instructions on how to make the phyllo dough with flour, eggs, water, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. When it comes to the filling, you can opt between pistachios or walnuts.
Turkish Baklava
PREP 45min
COOK 1h 30min
READY IN 2h 15min
Turkish baklava, as in the recipe adapted from Sultan's Kitchen: A Turkish Cookbook by Ozcan Ozan, typically has a pistachio filling. The recipe states clarified butter as an ingredient used to brush the layers of phyllo dough, which can easily be made at home. You will need first to melt a pound of butter over low heat. Once melted, you then remove the foam on the top and pour the yellow liquid in a separate bowl while making sure the milk solids that have set on the bottom of the pan are not disturbed. One pound of butter will give 1 1/2 cups of clarified butter necessary for the recipe.
Ingredients
Turkish Baklava
PHYLLO PASTRY
2 packages of phyllo dough, each containing 20-22 sheets of dough, thawed
1 1/2 cups (250g) unsalted clarified butter
FILLING
3 cups (360g) pistachios, plus extra for sprinkling
2 tbsp sugar
SYRUP
2 1/2 cups (600 ml) cold water
3 1/2 cups (700g) sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
DECORATION
pistachio nuts, finely chopped (optional)
Preparation
1
Turkish Baklava
Step 1/8
To make this baklava when it comes to equipment, you will need a 14x18-inch (35x45 cm) baking pan, a food processor, a sharp knife, a plant mister, and a wide pastry brush or paper towels.
Step 2/8
When ready to start, first preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and, since it needs time to cool, proceed to make the syrup. In a medium-sized saucepan combine water and sugar, bring to a boil, and let it boil for the next five minutes. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15-30 minutes or until light yellow. At the end stir in the lemon juice and leave it to cool.
Step 3/8
For the filling, grind in the food processor nuts and sugar until medium to finely ground, but do make sure they are not ground too fine.
Step 4/8
Brush the inside of the pan with clarified butter and place the first sheet of phyllo dough in the pan. If the phyllo dough is too big to fit the pan, just trim it to fit. Now, using either a wide pastry brush or a paper towel, lightly brush the top of that first sheet. Continue layering and buttering the remaining dough from the one packet.
Step 5/8
Next, coat the layered dough with the nut filling and using a plant mister, to help the next layer of dough stick to the nuts better, sprinkle the filling with water. Cover the filling with the layer of phyllo dough from the second package, brush with clarified butter, and continue repeating this until you're out of phyllo sheets.
Step 6/8
To finish, trim any excess edges and coat the top and edges with clarified butter, then with a sharp knife that's been previously dipped in hot water, cut the dough, only halfway through the dough, to make 48 pieces, 4 cuts lengthwise and 12 cuts crosswise.
Step 7/8
Place the prepared baklava in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, then lower the heat to 325°F (160°C) and bake for yet another 30 minutes or until the top catches a lightly golden color. Remove the baked baklava from the oven and let it cool at room temperature for ten minutes, then recut along the lines, but this time cut all the way to the bottom. Pour the previously prepared syrup evenly over the cut lines, then if desired, sprinkle the baklava with chopped pistachios and leave to cool.
Step 8/8
Baklava can be stored for up to a week if kept in a cool and dry space. When serving, baklava should be at room temperature.
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