Baklava also known as Armenian Paklava
Baklava is a delicious dessert recipe made with phyllo dough, crushed walnuts, butter, and a sugar syrup. It is a well respected dessert in the Mediterranean community.
Once of the reasons I wanted to create my version of this recipe is because it tastes best when it’s fresh and not overly sweetened. This is difficult to access when you purchase from bakeries unless you know the exact time they make it fresh and can somehow make it to the bakery exactly at that time.
Rest assured though, when you make this once, you may not look at store-bought baklava the same way ever again.
Is Baklava Hard to Make?
Whether or not baklava is hard to make really depends on a few factors. For this recipe, we are using store-bought phyllo dough which we thaw. I can say that with the phyllo dough already pre-made, the remainder of the steps to making baklava is easy.
Phyllo dough is a very thin and fragile dough which can tear easily if you’re not careful. With a few tips and tricks, you will learn how to handle it so it doesn’t tear.
Tip #1
When working with phyllo dough, it is important to keep the sheets moist using a damp kitchen towel. When you are making baklava, you want to keep the phyllo sheets covered this way so wet the kitchen towel a little bit (not drenched), wring out an excess water, and cover your dough. As you work with 2 sheets at a time, the remainder of your phyllo dough will stay covered until you need to use them.
Tip #2
Make sure you cut your phyllo dough to fit in your pan.
For this recipe, we will be using a 9 X 13 inch pan and we will cut the dough with kitchen sears to it fits nicely into the pan.
Tip # 3
Work quickly. Timing is critical. You want to make sure you have all your ingredients and tools ready to go. If you don’t work quickly or get distracted or sidetracked, the phyllo dough could dry out and be more likely to tear. You also need to have the syrup made and cooled at room temperature, and ready to pour once the baklava is done cooking.
Tip #4
Mistakes are okay!
You will see that things may not always be perfect when working with phyllo dough, however, this recipe is very forgiving. It is okay if it doesn’t come out perfect. It will still taste good. Consistency is more important than perfection.
Do I have to use walnuts for baklava?
The magical answer is, nope!
You can substitute with other nuts. In fact, for my recipe I am using pecans because I really enjoy the taste of pecans in dessert. I have made baklava with walnuts and pecans, and they both taste really good.
How to Store Baklava
You can store Baklava at room temperature in an airtight container for 1 week, or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Personally, I like to store it at room temperature because the texture does change and gets chewier if stored in the fridge.
Now let’s make this exquisite dessert and give your taste buds something a reason to smile!
Baklava Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Gather your thawed phyllo dough and the rest of the ingredients together.
- Mix the chopped nuts with cinnamon and set aside.
- Gently place the stack of phyllo dough on top of the 9×13 dish and cut the edges with kitchen sears to fit in your dish.
- Grab a moist kitchen towel and place the phyllo dough on it and wrap it so no part is exposed.
- Preheat oven to 350 °F, grease your dish, and set aside.
- Next, add 2 sheets of phyllo dough, butter the entire surface using a pastry brushand repeat 2 more times until you have a total of 6 phyllo dough's stacked with butter.
- Now add 3-4 tablespoons of the chopped nuts mixture and spread it out evenly until a thin layer of nuts covers the dough.
- Add 2 more sheets of phyllo dough, butter, and another 3-4 tbsp of the nuts mixture. Repeat this step until you are left with about 6 phyllo dough sheets. By this time, you should use up all of the nut mixture (reserve 6 phyllo sheets)
- With the remaining 6 sheets, add 2 sheets, brush with butter, and repeat until you use up all the sheets. Make sure to also brush the top layer with butter. (If you have any leftover nuts, you can decorate to top of your baklava,)
- Gently, and carefully cut the baklava diagonally (or any shape you desire). Use your other hand to help with the dough sticking to the knife as you are cutting it.
- Bake at 350 °F for 50 minutes, or until the top of the phyllo becomes golden brown. (If the top looks like it is going to burn, cover with foil wrap for the remainder of the baking time)
- Meanwhile, add the sugar, water, lemon slice into a medium saucepan, stir and bring to a boil.
- Once it boils, bring the heat down to a medium-low simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally and do not leave this unattended.
- Turn heat off and add rose water, stir and set aside to cool. Remove lemon slice.
- Once the baklava is baked, remove from the oven and immediately pour the cooled syrup evenly on top of the hot baklava. You will hear beautiful sizzling sounds, enjoy this part.
- Let it cool for at least 2 hours or overnight at room temperature and enjoy!
- Store cover in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
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