Many of us have already vacationed in Turkey more than once. And we have even grown to love the local cuisine, especially the desserts. Below is a fairly traditional baklava recipe. The key is to understand how the dough behaves and to buy a trusted one.
- 200 g pistachios
- 125 g walnuts
- 180 g sugar (+3 additional tbsp.)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. ground cloves
- ½ tsp. salt
- 500 g puff pastry (defrost in the refrigerator overnight)
- 125 g butter, melt
- 370 ml of honey
In a mixer, blender, or mortar, combine pistachios, walnuts, three tablespoons of sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Grind well until smooth and set aside. Cut the pastry sheets to approximately 20×30 cm, layer them with parchment paper, and cover with a towel. Grease a baking dish with butter. Place a sheet of pastry, brush it with butter, then add another sheet—repeating until you have 12 layers. Spread a third of the nut mixture on top, followed by two buttered pastry sheets, then another third of the nuts, two more buttered sheets, and the remaining nuts. Finish with another 12 layers of pastry. Brush the top generously with butter and refrigerate for 15–20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Using a serrated knife, cut the baklava into 18 squares (three cuts along the short side, six along the long side). Optionally, cut diagonally to form triangles. Bake for about an hour until golden, then let it cool.
In a deep pan, combine 180 g of sugar with 125 ml of water, stir until dissolved, and simmer over low heat for about five minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and add the honey. Pour the syrup over the baklava, sprinkle with chopped nuts, cover with parchment, and let it sit for at least eight hours.
In a mixer, blender, or mortar, combine pistachios, walnuts, three tablespoons of sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Grind well until smooth and set aside. Cut the pastry sheets to approximately 20×30 cm, layer them with parchment paper, and cover with a towel. Grease a baking dish with butter. Place a sheet of pastry, brush it with butter, then add another sheet—repeating until you have 12 layers. Spread a third of the nut mixture on top, followed by two buttered pastry sheets, then another third of the nuts, two more buttered sheets, and the remaining nuts. Finish with another 12 layers of pastry. Brush the top generously with butter and refrigerate for 15–20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Using a serrated knife, cut the baklava into 18 squares (three cuts along the short side, six along the long side). Optionally, cut diagonally to form triangles. Bake for about an hour until golden, then let it cool.
In a deep pan, combine 180 g of sugar with 125 ml of water, stir until dissolved, and simmer over low heat for about five minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and add the honey. Pour the syrup over the baklava, sprinkle with chopped nuts, cover with parchment, and let it sit for at least eight hours.
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