Homemade Authentic Baklava Recipe

Authentic Baklava Recipe from scratch. Making baklava dough and phyllo at home is not as hard as you think. It just takes some time. Filled with walnuts and layered with incredibly thin baklava leaves. Everyone will beg for more!

Is there anyone who hasn’t heard about baklava? It is a well known Middle East dessert around the world and it has varieties. It is either filled with crumbled pistachio or crumbled walnuts. Although pastry shops sell both types, it’s a tradition in Turkey to make it at home to celebrate Eid ul-Fitr. I don’t know why but homemade baklava is always much more tasty than the most pricy one in the industry. It’s absolutely more valuable to serve your guests the baklava you make during Eid. I feel like this tradition will die unless young women learn how to make authentic baklava recipe at home. I accept it is not very easy to make it at home, but you are encouraged enough if you have your mother or grandmother with you. Or if you have enough craving for a good baklava.

How To Make Baklava At Home

There are two ways of making baklava at home.

1. Make it with packaged baklava phyllo
2. Make it using an authentic baklava recipe. The second needs more work because you make the baklava leaves from scratch but is definitely worth.

How To Make Baklava Leaves

Layers of good baklava must be very thin, as thin as parchment paper which makes it a challenging dessert to make. Several dough layers are put together and rolled out together. Instead of flour, corn starch is used to prevent them from sticking to one another.

First make the baklava dough. Mix all ingredients for dough and combine well. It will not be a too soft dough. Cover and let it sit for 20 minutes.

Second, divide it into three and make 16 small balls from each, so you will have 3 groups of balls, each with 16 balls. Sprinkle corn starch over them.

Third, roll them out. Take one of the balls and roll it out a little using corn starch. Sprinkle corn starch over it and put it aside. Roll out 15 balls in the same way and put them on the first one sprinkling starch between layers and they overlap. Repeat the same for the other two groups.

Finally, roll them out in groups to make larger leaves. Take the first rolled group and roll all of them together as big as thin as you can. Use starch when needed.

I highly recommend you to have a look at Ozlem’s wonderful post including steps and tips of making baklava with the pictures taken in her culinary tour in Istanbul: Baklava 101 from the Masters&Tips to Make the Real Thing at Home.

How To Serve Baklava At Eid

I find it interesting, but Stuffed Grape Leaves are served on the same plate with homemade baklava in Eid in central Anatolia. Accompanied by Turkish Tea or a cup of traditional Turkish coffee for sure. I guess by serving these two laborious foods, you want to show your guests how valuable they are for you. You must watch how much you eat during Eid otherwise you might easily gain weight after eating it at every home you visit.

Related: How To Make Turkish Coffee Recipe

Special Method Of Eating Baklava

Did you know there is a special way to eat baklava recommended by masters of it? Grab it with two fingers, turn it upside down and eat it that way. Masters from Gaziantep say that you must first feel the sweetness of this dessert on your palate. The bottom layer is the sweetest part of it, the top layer is left crispy. That’s why you turn it upside down when eating. We don’t always eat it that way though.

This crispy and irresistibly tasty baklava is made by a very sweet neighbor of us. When we visited her this Eid, she gave us a small box of her baklava as a gift! What a neighbor! She even gave the recipe and I wrote it down for you.

MORE TURKISH DESSERTS

• Easy Baklava Recipe Turkish
• Turkish Halva Recipe
• Turkish Baked Rice Pudding Recipe
• Turkish Boza

Homemade Authentic Baklava Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Irresistible homemade baklava stuffed with walnuts.

• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
• Yield: 25 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Turkish

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• Dough:
• 4 cups flour
• 1 egg
• ½ cup lukewarm milk
• ½ cup juicy yogurt
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ cup corn oil
• For rolling out:
• 500g corn starch
• Filling:
• 1 and ½ cup walnut, crumbled
• topping:
• 150g butter
• Syrup:
• 5 cups sugar
• 3 and ½ cup water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients for dough and combine well. It will not be a too soft dough. Wait it for 20 min.
2. Divide it into three and make 16 small balls from each, so you will have 3 groups of balls, each with 16 balls.
3. Sprinkle corn starch over them.
4. Take one of the balls and roll it out a little using corn starch. Sprinkle corn starch over it and put it aside.
5. Roll out 15 balls in the same way and put them on the first one sprinkling starch between layers and they overlap.
6. Repeat the same for the other two groups.
7. Preheat oven to 190C.
8. Brush a round oven tray with a little oil.
9. Now take the first rolled group and roll all of them together as big as thin as you can. Use starch when needed.
10. Place these layers into the tray and add half of the walnuts on it.
11. Roll out the second group of 16 layers in the same way and place them right over the walnuts.
12. Sprinkle the rest of walnuts on it.
13. Roll out the third group and place it over the second walnut layer.
14. Cut it into slices with a thin and sharp knife.
15. Melt butter and pour it hot over it.
16. Bake it at 190C until golden, about 50 min.
17. Let it cool.
18. Mix sugar and water in a pot and bring it to boil.
19. Let it boil for 15 min.
20. Add in 1 tbsp lemon juice, boil for 2 more minutes. Let it cool.
21. Pour the cold syrup over hot baklava and let it absorb the syrup well.
22. Serve at least after 4 hours.

Keywords: baklava from scratch, walnut filling