Baklava is a traditional oriental sweet. This is a pie with a nut filling, which can now be found in many pastry shops. But baklava can also be prepared at home, delighting yourself and your guests with an exquisite delicacy.
It is necessary
- - wheat flour - 500 g;
- - butter - 250 g;
- - egg - 3 pcs.;
- - dry yeast - 0.5 tsp;
- - milk - 1 glass;
- - walnut kernels - 400 g;
- - granulated sugar - 900 g;
- - water - 2, 5 glasses;
- - cardamom - 0.5 tsp;
- - a pinch of salt;
- - a small pinch of dried saffron.
Instructions
Step 1
In cooking, saffron is prized for its unique taste and aroma, as well as for its ability to color dishes in a pleasant golden color. It is used in microscopic doses, mainly in dry form. In baking, it is much more convenient to use saffron, prepared as follows: grind the spice into powder and pour a small amount of warm boiled water (about half a glass).
Step 2
Remove the butter from the refrigerator, let it thaw until soft. Heat the milk a little. Pour in the yeast with a few tablespoons of milk, stir and leave for a few minutes to dissolve. Dry the nuts in a preheated oven for 7-10 minutes.
Step 3
Prepare the dough. In a deep bowl, combine flour, 100 grams softened butter, 2 eggs, yeast and salt. Add a teaspoon of liquid saffron to the remaining milk and stir, then pouring in small portions with the rest of the ingredients, knead the dough. Better do it right away with your hands, the consistency should be such that the dough can be rolled out thinly. More milk can be added if necessary. Leave the finished dough for 2-3 hours in a warm place, cover it with a towel.
Step 4
While the dough is right, tidy up the baklava filling. Grind 300 grams of nuts (leave the rest for garnish) in a coffee grinder or blender and mix with granulated sugar and cardamom.
Step 5
Divide the dough into 10 pieces. In this case, two parts, make a little more than the rest. Roll one of them into a cake layer approximately 5 mm thick, large enough to completely cover the baking dish. Put the bottom layer of the future baklava in a deep baking sheet pre-greased with vegetable oil. Spread a thin layer of filling evenly on top.
Step 6
Then roll out the rest of the cakes (they will be thinner) and lay them out, alternating with the nuts. The top layer of baklava, like the bottom one, should be slightly larger than the others, stretch it so that it completely covers the baking sheet, cut off the excess dough with a knife.
Step 7
Preheat oven to 180C. In the remaining egg, separate the yolk, add a teaspoon of saffron, beat a little, grease the top crust and send to the oven. After 7-8 minutes, take out the baklava, cut it into diamonds, garnish with half a nut, pour generously with pre-melted butter. Reduce baking temperature to 150-160 ° C and return to oven for an hour.
Step 8
Cook sugar syrup from 600 grams of sugar and 2 glasses of water. Pour the prepared baklava with syrup and leave for at least an hour to soak. The oriental dessert is ready.
