Baklava is a dessert made of multiple layers of filo pastry, generously filled with chopped or minced nuts, then baked and topped with sweet syrup. This can be taken as a universal definition for baklava, but there is no universal recipe for it. Each country, or rather each region, has its own way of making baklava. The difference can be in the filling, in the syrup and in the way the baklava is assembled and cut.
Recipes differ mostly by the filling: a great part of the traditional versions use walnuts or pistachios. Hazelnuts are also a common filling, as well as almonds, though the latter is used rarely. Some modern versions go much further and use combination of coconut, chocolate and dried fruits, but these recipes significantly digress from the tradition.
As for the syrup, sugar and water make the base, but lemon, honey and some aromas can be also added.
And when it comes to the assembling, the most common way is to layer the filo sheets and then cut them into triangles, rectangles or diamond pieces, but making roulades is also a frequent practice.
In the photo below I took in a baklava store some time ago, you can see various shapes of baklava. Coloring baklava is not common, but the idea is amazing... :)
So, let's now begin!These are the ingredients you'll need:
- 500 g filo pastry
for the filling:
- 100 g sugar
- 150 ml sparkling water
- 150 ml oil
- 10 g baking powder
- approx. 300 g minced walnuts
for the syrup:
- 500 g sugar
- 600 ml water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
I assemble this baklava in two ways, depending on the occasion, and I'll show you the both ways here so you can choose the one that pleases you more. Let's begin:
- First prepare the syrup, as you'll need it completely cooled. Put sugar and water into a pot and heat it over the highest fire. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to medium fire and continue cooking the syrup for 10 minutes. Remove from fire and let it cool completely. You can add some vanilla extract or vanilla-flavored sugar after the cooking (when it's lukewarm), for a richer aroma.
- Now it's time for the filling. Whisk sugar, sparkling water, oil and baking powder until sugar melts and the mixture becomes white.
Also prepare the walnuts. You can mince them finely or make a combination of finely and roughly minced ones.
Repeat the procedure with the remaining filo sheets. Make as many roulades as you can using 4 sheets and 5-7 tablespoons of walnuts per roulade.
Place the roulades into a baking pan. Make sure there is no space between the roulades, so that they stay tight and unchanged after baking.
4. Bake into a preheated oven at 180°C until it gets a nice brown and crispy crust.
This is how it looks like before and after baking...
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5. If you prefer to have triangles, which are more practical for serving at parties, for example, follow this step and look at the photos below...
Take one filo sheet and brush it with the white mixture. Then, fold it at half widthwise and cut into half so that you get two long stripes, as shown below. Brush each stripe with the white mixture and put 1 tablespoon of minced walnuts on each stripe. Then, fold each stripe as shown below. At the end, you'll get triangles with the filling completely wrapped inside. So, you'll have two triangles from each filo sheet. |
If you want to get even smaller triangles, you can cut each sheet to 3 or 4 pieces and then fold each stripe at half. In this case you should put less walnuts, for example 1-2 teaspoons per piece.
This baklava can be served once it has cooled, but it's best after a couple of days.