Baklava is a delicious dessert, originally from Turkey, made with phyllo dough and dried fruit. By preparing it at home you will have the opportunity to flavor the syrup with your favorite spices and to use the dried fruit you like best for the filling. Roll out the phyllo dough, butter it and distribute the dried fruit forming two even layers. Bake the baklava in the oven until the phyllo dough is golden brown, pour the syrup over it and enjoy a piece whenever you feel like it.
Ingrediants
Syrup
- 400 g of granulated sugar
- 340 g of honey
- 350 ml of water
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of corn syrup (optional)
- 2 cinnamon sticks (optional)
- 4-6 whole cloves or half a teaspoon of cardamom powder (optional)
Stuffed
- 450 g of peeled almonds, pistachios, walnuts (or a combination of these varieties)
- 50 g of granulated sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- A pinch of cloves or powdered cardamom (optional)
- 450 g of phyllo dough, thawed
- 225 g of butter or seed oil
For 3 dozen small pieces of baklava
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Prepare the Syrup and the Filling
Step 1. Pour the sugar, honey, water, and lemon juice into a small saucepan
To make the syrup, you need 400 g of granulated sugar, 340 g of honey, 350 ml of water and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of lemon juice.
If you don't want to use honey, you can replace it with the same amount of granulated sugar
Step 2. If desired, add the spices and corn syrup
You can prevent the syrup from crystallizing by adding 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of corn syrup. You can also add a spicy taste to it by adding 2 cinnamon sticks (about 8 cm each) and 4-6 whole cloves or half a teaspoon of powdered cardamom.
You can also add the zest of a lemon to the syrup to give it a slightly citrusy scent and a teaspoon (5 ml) of vanilla extract
Step 3. Heat the mixture over low heat for 5 minutes
Stir constantly to dissolve the sugar. Keep stirring until the mixture has a smooth, syrup-like consistency.
Stir with a wooden spoon. If you use a metal spoon, it may overheat
Step 4. Let the syrup simmer for 5 minutes and remove the spices (if you used them whole)
When the sugar has dissolved, adjust the heat to medium. Stop stirring and let the syrup cook until it thickens slightly. At that point, turn off the stove and remove both cinnamon sticks and cloves very carefully to avoid burning yourself.
Let the syrup cool while you prepare the filling
Suggestion:
use a cake thermometer to make sure the syrup has reached 107 ° C.
Step 5. Chop or blend the dried fruit
For the filling of the baklava you need 450 g of dried fruit of your choice. Depending on the degree of crunchiness you want, you can coarsely chop it with a knife or use the blender to make a finer powder.
Suggestion:
the traditional recipe calls for almonds and pistachios, but you can also use walnuts, hazelnuts or a combination of different varieties of dried fruit.
Step 6. Combine dried fruit with sugar, cinnamon and spices if desired
Place the chopped or pureed nuts in a bowl, then add 50 g of granulated sugar and 1-2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon. If you want, you can also add a pinch of cardamom or clove powder. Stir until the ingredients are well distributed.
- If you love unusual flavor combinations, you can add a teaspoon of ground coffee.
- For an even bolder option, you can add a teaspoon of powdered ginger.
Part 2 of 3: Assemble the Baklava
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 175 ° C and grease a baking sheet
The size of the pan affects the thickness of the baklava. The larger the pan is, the thinner the baklava will be and vice versa. Choose the pan you prefer, then butter the bottom and sides.
Did you know that?
If you use a light-colored pan, the baklava will not risk browning too much at the ends.
Step 2. Melt 225g of butter
Place the butter in a microwave-safe container and heat it every 20 seconds until completely melted. If you prefer, you can let it melt in a saucepan over low heat.
If you want, you can substitute half of the butter with oil for a lower calorie baklava
Step 3. Brush 7 sheets of phyllo dough with butter and place them on top of each other in the pan
Open the package of thawed phyllo dough and take a sheet of it. Roll it out and place it inside the pan, then take a kitchen brush, dip it in the melted butter and spread a thin layer over the dough. Spread a second sheet of phyllo dough into the pan and brush it with butter. Continue in this way until there are 7 layers of buttered and overlapping filo pastry in the pan.
If you used a very large baking sheet, you may need to cut and place the phyllo dough sheets side by side to evenly coat the bottom
Step 4. Spread half of the filling over the phyllo dough
Take the chopped nuts and spread them evenly across the pan. It is important to distribute it well, so that the baklava has a uniform thickness.
Step 5. Brush 8 sheets of phyllo dough with butter and place them in the pan
Since this is the middle layer of baklava, you can also use torn or imperfect sheets of phyllo dough. Make sure you have buttered them evenly before stacking them.
Step 6. Add the remaining dried fruit and another 8 sheets of phyllo dough
Spread the other half of the filling on the middle layer of the baklava, then butter another 8 sheets of phyllo dough to complete your work.
Step 7. Trim the ends of the baklava and cut it into small diamonds
Take a sharp knife and, if necessary, cut the phyllo dough that exceeds the edges of the pan. Then practice some cuts, first diagonally and then horizontally, to divide it into strips about 5 cm wide and obtain small diamonds.
- If you prefer, you can cut it into squares.
- If you have trouble cutting the phyllo dough cleanly, try using a serrated knife.
Part 3 of 3: Bake the Baklava
Step 1. Sprinkle the surface of the baklava with water and bake it in the oven for 20 minutes
Dip your fingertips into a bowl filled with frozen water and sprinkle it on the surface of the baklava evenly. Immediately after that, place the pan in the hot oven and let the baklava cook for 20 minutes while maintaining the temperature at 175 ° C.
Frozen water is used to prevent the outer layer of phyllo dough from curling as it cooks
Step 2. Lower the oven temperature to 150 ° C and let the baklava cook for another 15 minutes
Reduce the heat without taking the cake out of the oven. Let it cook until the filo pastry is golden brown on the surface.
Step 3. Remove the baklava from the oven and cut it following the incisions you made earlier
Turn off the oven and carefully remove the pan. Take a sharp knife and immediately slice the baklava following the incisions you made earlier. Make sure the blade sinks to the base of the pan.
Step 4. Pour the syrup over the hot baklava
Distribute it gradually and evenly, possibly using a ladle. The syrup will penetrate the incisions and be gradually absorbed by the phyllo dough.
Suggestion:
if you have prepared the syrup in advance and stored it in the refrigerator, heat it slightly so that the phyllo dough absorbs it more easily.
Step 5. Let the baklava cool for at least 4 hours before serving
Let it sit at room temperature so that it cools and absorbs the syrup. When it has cooled, you can serve it or cover it and store it in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- If the baklava seems dry, you can add more syrup flush before serving.
- About 24 hours after adding the syrup, the baklava will have reached a perfect consistency.
Advice
- To defrost the phyllo dough, leave it at room temperature for 5 hours or transfer it from the freezer to the refrigerator the day before using it.
- Cover the phyllo dough with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out while you assemble the baklava.
