Lebanese Baklava (Baklawa) is one of the best of many Center Japanese sweets. This Lebanese pastry is made with sheets of filo dough (phyllo dough) or puff pastry, layered with clarified butter or ghee, and stuffed with sugary walnuts and topped with a rose water syrup (ater recipe).
What’s baklava
In Lebanon baklava is a quite common dessert. Puff pastry is layered with melted butter, and the baklawa filling is made with walnuts (in some locations it’s made with pistachios). This genuine baklava recipe is then baked within the oven till golden brown and crispy, then drizzled with a flowery (or citrus) easy syrup known as “ater” and served with sturdy espresso.
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What does Baklava style like?
Baklava is a really candy and wealthy pastry that’s baked till very crunchy and flaky. The selfmade sugar syrup (ater syrup) retains the baklawa from being dry. The ater sugar syrup additionally brings a delicate flowery or citrusy undertone to the filo pastry dessert.
The odor of this conventional baklawa baking within the oven instantly takes me again to Christmas and to enjoyable instances hanging out with household. I’ve heard tales of kin, just a few generations eliminated, that used to make the filo dough from scratch for baklawa. They might roll it out and lay it out all through the home for it to dry earlier than layering it and making this wonderful Arab dessert.
Origins of Baklava – The place is baklava from?
It’s mentioned that within the history of baklava, that it dates again to the Ottoman empire (modern-day Turkey) all the way in which again to round 800 B.C.. It’s rumored that on particular events, dough can be rolled and stretched out very thinly to make pastry sheets (like modern-day filo pastry sheets), unfold with chopped nuts, cinnamon and honey.
This advanced to be what we all know as modern-day baklava, and ultimately discovered its solution to many Center Japanese and Mediterranean nations. This can be a staple of Center Japanese desserts.
Baklawa Vs. Baklava
So is it Baklawa or baklava? It’s true that there are several types of baklava. BaklAWA (additionally pronounced baklehwah or batlawa) is the standard Lebanese model of the baklava recipes on the market. The place Baklava is extra of the standard Greek or Turkish recipes.
This recipe right here, is the standard Lebanese baklawa recipe.
Need to study extra about Lebanese delicacies? Take a look at this text >>> What is Lebanese Food
Additionally try these different wonderful and fashionable Lebanese recipes!
Distinction between Greek and Lebanese Baklava
The distinction between Lebanese baklawa and different baklava is no matter is drizzled excessive. Many Lebanese desserts, together with this recipe for baklawa, are drizzled with a easy syrup made with rose water known as “ater.” Whereas different baklava recipes are often drizzled with honey.
In case you are questioning what nation makes one of the best baklava? I might say “Lebanon,” however I’m just a little partial.
Elements for Baklawa
The beautiful factor about Lebanese meals, is that each household has their very own model of every conventional recipe on the market. Whereas many baklawa recipes name for pistachio nuts, it’s not unusual to make baklava with walnuts as an alternative. That is how we do it in our household. This specific recipe requires:
- phyllo dough (aka puff pastry or filo dough, it may be discovered within the freezer part of your grocery retailer)
- Clarified butter or ghee
- Walnuts (or pistachios in the event you favor) use solely the freshest, uncooked walnuts
- sugar
- water
- rose water (could be substituted with lemon juice, which is how I make it)
Make certain to make use of GOOD QUALITY nuts! Take a look at these beneath. I like shopping for them from nuts.com due to the standard!
The right way to Make Home made Baklawa
First, it’s possible you’ll wish to seize a helper for making baklawa. It may be intimidating the primary time you make it. Don’t fear, it’s price it and isn’t too unhealthy as soon as what to do. Begin by thawing the phyllo dough within the fridge for a number of hours or in a single day. It is vitally vital that the puff pastry sheets are thawed utterly so that they don’t tear or rip aside.
The right way to make clear butter- make ghee
Clarified butter, or ghee, is utilized in all baklawa recipes. What’s ghee? Ghee is butter that has the milk solids faraway from it. Ghee could be very straightforward to make and can prevent cash in the event you simply make it your self at dwelling with butter. Most recipes name for unsalted butter, however I truly use salted butter. You need to use whichever you need, simply be sure you add some salt to the filling in the event you select to make use of unsalted butter.
Take a pound of butter (4 sticks salted butter) and place it in a 2 quart saucepan. Soften the butter slowly over medium warmth and take away it from the warmth as soon as it’s melted. You’ll discover that the milk solids might be on the high of the melted butter and that the clear butter or clarified butter that continues to be is beneath.
Skim off the milk solids from the highest and you’re left with clear ghee or clarified butter.
It would be best to use a pastry brush and solely use the clarified butter that continues to be after skimming the highest, to brush the puff pastry sheets for the baklawa.
Layering the Lebanese baklawa
Take away the filo dough from the plastic package deal and canopy it with a barely damp kitchen towel in order that it doesn’t dry out. Fastidiously layer the underside of a 11 x 15 jelly roll pan with one layer of filo pastry. Relying on the model of filo dough that you simply purchase, you is likely to be utilizing one large filo sheet, or 2 filo sheets positioned proper subsequent to one another, you need one single layer of filo dough.
Additionally, I particularly use that dimension of pan for baklawa. Take a look at this one beneath, you need it to have shallow sides ideally. Additionally, you will want a pastry brush as effectively.
Now fastidiously brush the layer of filo dough with the clarified butter. The primary layer is at all times the toughest! If the filo pastry sheet is simply too large, simply let it persist with the facet and brush the underside of the filo sheet. After a number of layers, you may minimize the surplus filo pastry off of the edges of the pan with a pointy paring knife.
Bear in mind to cowl up the remaining filo dough with the kitchen towel, while you’re buttering the layers.
Layer one other sheet of filo dough and butter once more. Maintain layering and buttering till half of the layers are used up.
Video make baklava
The right way to make the filling for baklawa
The baklawa filling could be very straightforward to make so long as you might have a meals processor. I extremely advocate the Cuisinart larger capacity food processor. They’re very versatile within the kitchen and are prime quality and final a LONG time!! I’ve had mine for years and it nonetheless works like new.
Take the walnuts and chop them within the meals processor till they’re floor fairly finely. It would appear to be gravel. Combine the bottom walnuts with the sugar and evenly unfold the nut combination throughout the buttered layers of the baklawa.
Now proceed the layering and butter course of from earlier than, with the remainder of the phyllo pastry sheets.
The right way to minimize baklava
Genuine baklava Lebanese type is historically minimize into diamond shapes. You NEED to chop the baklawa BEFORE baking it within the oven. As a way to minimize baklava into triangles, you’ll first need minimize the baklawa in half proper down the center (*see minimize #1 beneath) fastidiously with a pointy knife. Proceed to chop every part in half till you might have halved it 7 completely different instances (see minimize diagram beneath).
After these cuts are made, make a diagonal minimize from the sting of the pan in direction of every intersecting minimize, making a diamond sample.
Check out this video of minimize baklava evenly into diamond shapes.
The right way to minimize baklava into diamonds video
After reducing the baklawa diagonally into diamonds, place it uncovered within the preheated oven and bake it for 1 hour, or till it’s golden brown and crispy on the highest. Whereas it’s baking, proceed to make the straightforward syrup recipe for baklawa.
The right way to make easy syrup recipe for Lebanese Baklawa (Ater recipe)
As I mentioned earlier than, Lebanon baklava is completely different than Greek baklava, primarily due to the syrup drizzled excessive. My household at all times drizzles this straightforward syrup or ater recipe excessive of the nice and cozy baklawa.
Many Lebanese recipes for baklawa name for the ater, or easy syrup to be made with rose water or orange blossom water. This was very troublesome to search out after my ancestors immigrated to the Unites States, so that they needed to provide you with an answer.
What’s an alternative choice to rose water?
An ideal various to rose water on this ater recipe is lemon juice. The lemon juice will give off a citrus essence versus a flower essence that the rose water will give. However the vital factor concerning the lemon juice is that it’ll stabilize the straightforward syrup so that it’ll not clump collectively. I personally just like the style of the lemon juice, versus the rose water as effectively.
If you wish to use rose water, you do effectively. That’s the conventional means of creating this Lebanese easy syrup and you could find some right here:
Make certain to purchase meals grade rose water like within the hyperlink above. Should you go elsewhere, rose water for magnificence merchandise are highly regarded, however that isn’t the proper type of rose water for baking. Please buy by the hyperlink above at The Spice Home, to get good high quality, meals grade rose water.
In a 2 quart sauce pan, warmth the water and sugar as much as boiling and boil for about quarter-hour, or till it begins to thicken and coats the again of a spoon (about 250 levels F). After it begins to thicken, take away from the warmth and some minutes later stir within the lemon juice and rose water (non-compulsory).
Let it prepare dinner to room temperature.
After the baklawa is completed baking, let it cool f0r about 5-10 minutes. The important thing to getting the right crispy texture to the baklava, and the syrupy sweetness is to pour the cooled virtually ROOM TEMPERATURE syrup over the WARM BAKLAWA.
Pour it evenly excessive of the baklawa and let it soak in and sit for about 30-45 minutes earlier than serving it. Serve with sturdy espresso and revel in!!!
Baklawa FAQ’s
How do I retailer Baklawa?
You may retailer baklava in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as 5 days. You do not want to refrigerate baklawa.
Can I freeze baklawa?
Sure! Baklawa could be frozen in an hermetic container for as much as 3 months in a freezer. To thaw, set the container with the baklava at room temperature for 1 hour or till thawed.
How lengthy does baklava have to take a seat?
After pouring the syrup onto the nice and cozy baklava, enable it to take a seat for 45 minutes to an hour with the intention to take in all of that candy syrup earlier than serving.
When ought to I minimize baklava?
At all times minimize the baklawa into triangles or diamonds BEFORE baking it within the oven! Learn extra about reducing baklawa within the above part: How to Cut Baklava
The right way to make baklava crispy
As a way to be sure that your baklawa is crispy, you could use clarified butter or ghee and brush it onto every layer of filo dough. Butter that isn’t clarified has an excessive amount of moister and it’s possible you’ll find yourself with not crispy baklava.
Don’t attempt to pour melted butter or ghee excessive of the baklava as an alternative of brushing it on every layer. Should you don’t brush every layer with clarified butter, it might come out doughy or gummy and never crispy. ***It’s essential to brush every particular person layer!
Ensuring that you simply bake it within the low warmth oven may even make sure the crispy baklava texture that’s the greatest
The right way to hold baklava from getting soggy
At all times keep in mind to pour COOL SYRUP over the WARM BAKLAWA and your baklawa will keep crispy and never develop into soggy.
Is Baklava Vegan?
No, sadly baklava just isn’t vegan because it has ghee, nevertheless it’s vegetarian.
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Lebanese Baklawa Recipe – Genuine Walnut Baklava
Lebanese Baklava (Baklawa) is one of the best of many Center Japanese sweets. This Lebanese pastry is made with sheets of filo dough or puff pastry, layered with clarified butter or ghee, and stuffed with sugary walnuts and topped with a rose water syrup (ater recipe).
- 2 cups Floor Walnuts or pistachios
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 lb Filo dough thawed
- 1 lb Butter 4 sticks (salted)
Merely Syrup Recipe for Baklawa (Ater Recipe)
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- ½ teas Rose water non-compulsory
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Preheat the oven to 300°F
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Put together the baklawa filling by grinding the uncooked walnuts (or pistachios) in a meals processor till positive. You need to have 2 cups of the bottom walnuts
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Combine 1 cup of sugar into the bottom walnuts. Put aside
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In a 2 quart saucepan, soften the butter over medium warmth and take away from warmth as soon as it’s melted. With a spoon, skim the milk solids off of the highest and you’re left with clarified butter, or ghee
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Layer one sheet of puff pastry (or filo dough) on the underside of an 11×15 pan and punctiliously butter it with a pastry brush. Make certain to cowl the unused puff pastry sheets with a kitchen towel earlier than utilizing so they do not dry out! *if the filo pastry sheet is simply too massive for the pan see note in post
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Continue layering each sheet of filo dough, one and a time and buttering each one, until HALF of all of the sheets are used
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After halfway through buttering the filo sheets, spread the nut mixture evenly over the top
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Continue the same layering and buttering process of the filo pastry until it is all used up
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Cut the baklawa into diamonds BEFORE baking it. Read the step by step instructions and watch the video of how to cut baklawa within the put up
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Bake the baklawa uncovered within the preheated oven for 1 hour, or till golden brown and crispy on high.
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Make the straightforward syrup (ater recipe) whereas the baklawa is baking! (beneath)
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Let the baklawa cool for 10 minutes. Pour the cooled easy syrup over the nice and cozy baklava. You will need to pour the cool syrup over it whereas it’s nonetheless very heat! This may hold the baklava crispy and flaky!
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Enable the baklawa to take a seat and take in the syrup for about 45 minutes to an hour earlier than serving. Take pleasure in!
Easy Syrup Recipe with Rose Water (Ater recipe)
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Convey 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water to a full boil and proceed to boil for 15-18 minutes, or till the syrup thickens and turns into viscous. It ought to coat the again of a spoon
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Take away from the warmth and add the lemon juice and rose water (non-compulsory). Should you do not add the rose water, you continue to want so as to add the lemon juice for taste and to stabilize the syrup. Let it cool
