Sweet, crunchy, multi-layered baklava dripping with honey syrup is a favorite oriental delicacy of many. There are many recipes for this dessert. There are plenty to choose from to make the perfect complement to a strong black coffee.
Classic Turkish Baklava
Do you want to cook such baklava the way they served to the Ottoman Sultan? Use a traditional Turkish recipe. There is no honey, spices, aromatic water in it, but this does not prevent the delicacy from being amazingly tasty.
You will need:
- 400 g filo dough;
- 500 g granulated sugar;
- 350 g unsalted peeled pistachios;
- 500 g unsalted butter 82.5% fat;
- 600 ml of water;
- ¼ lemon.
Get some syrup. Place a saucepan of sugar and water over medium heat, squeeze the lemon juice and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the syrup is thick. Cool to room temperature.
Grind the pistachios in a food processor. They should not turn into a paste, but the nuts should be chopped very finely while maintaining their texture. Melt the butter over low heat. Heat until foam rises to the top and solids begin to settle to the bottom. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the foam. Line the bottom of the colander with gauze and strain the oil.
Filo dough can be made on your own, but only very patient people can do this process. The recipe is simple, but the stretched dough should be stretched for a long time and painstakingly with your hands so that it becomes thin and transparent. Confectioners say that through a good filo dough, you can safely read the newspaper. Therefore, in most homemade baklava recipes, it is recommended to take ready-made filo.
Preheat oven to 180C. Take a deep rectangular baking dish. A baking sheet 30 x 20 cm and at least 4 cm deep is best. Cut the filo sheets to fit the mold. Thin dough is best cut with scissors. Cover the cut sheets with a slightly damp towel and keep the dough underneath to keep it from drying out.
Lubricate the bottom and sides of the mold with melted butter and start spreading out the dough. Lubricate each new layer generously with oil. Sprinkle a thin layer of crushed pistachios on the filo every three layers. When you have used about half of the dough, add a thick layer of nuts and start pouring in a little again until you have about 10 sheets of dough left. They do not need to be interspersed with nuts.
Using a sharp knife, cut the workpiece into equal parts, passing seven parts across and six along. Make sure you cut the baklava to the bottom. Drizzle generously with the remaining oil and place in the oven for 30-35 minutes. The finished baklava is golden brown and flaky. Pour syrup over hot baked goods and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and serve.
Easy Greek Baklava Recipe
Cooking Greek baklava differs not so much in the process as in the ingredients included in the dish. Generous Greeks do not spare nuts, spices, honey.
You will need:
- 200 g of shelled walnuts;
- 200 g of peeled pistachios;
- 200 g of peeled almonds;
- ¼ Art. granulated sugar;
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of ground cinnamon;
- a pinch of ground cloves;
- 18 Art. tablespoons of butter;
- 400 g filo dough.
For syrup:
- ¾ Art. granulated sugar;
- 1 tbsp. cold water;
- 1 cup of liquid honey
- 1 tbsp. l. orange extract;
- 5 cloves of cloves;
- 1 lemon.
Grind the pistachios in a blender bowl. Set aside 3 tablespoons to garnish the dessert. Grind the rest of the nuts in a blender and add to the ground pistachios along with sugar and spices. Stir. You can change the proportion of nuts to your taste by putting in a little more of those that you like. Melt the butter over medium heat, wait for the foam to appear and remove it with a slotted spoon. Strain the melted butter through a fine sieve to remove any debris.
Grease a deep square baking sheet with oil. Cut the filo dough so that it fits into the baking sheet. Place the sheets on top of one damp towel and cover with another. Start collecting baklava. Spread the filo sheets one by one, brushing generously with oil. When using about a third of the dough, sprinkle heavily with half of the nut mixture. Add another third of the dough and use the other half of the nuts. Finish assembling the baklava by laying out the remaining dough. The trick to getting airy baklava is to press as little as possible on the layers of dough when laying. Brush the top of the baklava with melted butter. Cut into portions. Place the baked goods in an oven preheated to 180 ° C. Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The baklava should turn golden. Check doneness with a bamboo stick.
While the baklava is baking, make the syrup. Pour water into a small saucepan, add sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is completely dissolved. Add honey, orange extract and cloves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Squeeze the juice out of the lemon and add to the syrup. Take out the cloves.
Pour warm syrup over the finished baklava. Sprinkle with the remaining pistachios. Leave the sweetness to soak for a few hours.
Unusual baklava recipe
Do you want to cook an unusual baklava? Here is an interesting recipe that uses an unusual product - sesame seeds.
You will need:
- 45 g sesame seeds;
- 175 g chopped almonds;
- 225 g chopped walnuts;
- 5 g ground cinnamon;
- 2 ½ g ground cloves;
- 225 g filo dough;
- 75 g butter 82.5% fat;
- 8 whole cloves;
- 100 g granulated sugar;
- 60 ml of light liquid honey;
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice;
- 5 ml vanilla extract.
Melt the butter. In a bowl, combine chopped nuts and sesame seeds, ground cloves and cinnamon. Take a round dish with a diameter of 25 cm and a depth of at least 4 cm. Cut the filo dough sheets to the size of the mold. Place the dough between wet towels. Grease the pan with melted butter, lay out 5-6 sheets of filo, greasing each, then sprinkle with the nut-sesame mixture and lay out another 5-6 sheets, continuing to grease. Add remaining nuts and dough. Don't forget the oil! Cut the baklava into eight servings, stick into each whole clove. Bake at 180 ° C for 445 minutes. If the dough starts to brown, cover it with foil.
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and honey with 100 ml water and cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes, turn off the heat and add lemon juice and vanilla extract. Pour the warm syrup over the finished baklava. Leave it on for 20-30 minutes.
