Easy Turkish Baklava Recipe

This Easy Turkish Baklava Recipe is a decadently rich, buttery, sweet treat made with homemade phyllo dough, butter, a toasted almond filling, and warm honey.

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The greatest Turkish Baklava is made with layers of incredibly thin, flaky, buttered phyllo sheets that are filled with nuts and sweetened with honey. With this simple baklava recipe, you can make it at home and share a full pan with your loved ones.

What is baklava?

Baklava is one of the most well-liked desserts, dating back to the Ottomans. Layers of thin, flaky filo pastries soaked in simple syrup and packed with nuts are used to make it.

The Ottoman Empire placed a great deal of importance on the famous baklava dessert, which we always have room for. This was true notably in the fifteenth century. According to legend, baklava has undergone numerous changes throughout the years and first took on its present form in the kitchen of Istanbul's Topkapi Palace during the Ottoman Empire. Every major event, including weddings, festivals, and religious gatherings, featured baklava. It served as any celebration's dessert.

Although baklava is made differently in numerous Mediterranean and Middle Eastern nations, the four main components are filo pastry, butter, almonds, and syrup. It is simple to modify and make your own version to make your own special baklava tasty.

Baklava has been made across Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, Iran, and many other countries for centuries, and its exact origin is still debated, with each place having its own pastry, nut, and syrup traditions.

Greek Baklava vs. Turkish Baklava

Nobody seems to actually know who or where it was invented, or even who really owns it. But I am aware that baklava is a deeply ingrained tradition in both nations, with regional variations even within the same nation.

I realize that I'm generalizing a bit here when I say that Turkish baklava employs sugar syrup, pistachios, and lemon juice without the addition of spices or other flavors, but Greek baklava uses honey, walnuts, and cinnamon.

No matter where it comes from, good baklava is moist but not mushy and sweet but not overbearing (although I do think that Turkish baklava is typically wetter than Greek baklava in my experience).

My version in this recipe breaks the rules a little: it's made with toasted almonds and finished with honey, for a rich, golden baklava that's just as delicious.

There are variations in the baklava's presentation and cutting, but for the sake of simplicity, let's stick with the distinctions I've already outlined. Those are the key distinctions I will focus on for this recipe.

Why Does This Recipe Work?

• Making this almond baklava is incredibly simple and only requires a few ingredients, including flour, butter, almonds, sugar, and honey.
• This recipe yields 50 delicious diamond-shaped baklavas, which are the ideal party dish and are sure to please everyone!
• Baklava is the ideal treat to prepare ahead of time; in fact, it tastes even better the next day or two.
• This baklava freezes well. If you find that this is too many baklavas for you, split them out and freeze them for up to three months.
• Simple assembly: Once the sheets are rolled, it's just a matter of stacking: buttered layers, almond filling, more buttered layers.

What You'll Need

• all-purpose flour
• unsalted butter
• salt
• vanilla extract
• water
• flower water (eau de fleur)
• almonds
• sugar
• almond extract
• egg
• honey
• Clarified butter: For brushing the layers, clarified butter (or ghee) works best. Without the milk solids, it won't leave dark spots on the pastry as it bakes.

How to Make Turkish Baklava

*This is just an overview of the steps required to make this Turkish baklava, detailed instructions can be found in the recipe card down below.*

It's common to prepare Turkish baklava at home to honor religious occasions like Eid. Other than this, making it at home is not very frequent. People prefer to purchase it from tiny baklava shops or pastry shops.

Making baklava refers to creating a traditional recipe from scratch. However, not everyone is skilled enough to produce baklava leaves at home. As you may expect, older women don't delegate the task to someone else. Every community has at least one skilled baker, and around major religious holidays, there are undoubtedly more people there.

1. The dough. Add the dough ingredients and mix them all together. Add the flour gradually as you create a soft dough. Depending on where you are or the relative humidity of the room, the amount of flour may vary. Transfer the dough to a work area that has been lightly dusted with flour, and knead it there for a few minutes, or until it is elastic and doesn't adhere to your hands. To keep the dough pliable, use as little flour as you can. The dough should be rolled into a ball and placed back in the basin. For 8 hours, cover it and let it rest. While the dough is resting, prepare the filling.
2. The sheets. roll the dough pieces into small balls, and use a pasta machine to roll the balls and make fine nearly transparent sheets. Put them on top of one another after rolling them into the size of a small plate and liberally dousing them in corn starch. They should be rolled out collectively as thinly as possible to a 36 cm size. When necessary, add more starch to prevent them from sticking. Put them on a baking sheet measuring 36 cm. If necessary, cut the sides, and then top the filo pastries with the trimmings. Continue until you've finished the first batch of dough balls (12 balls will make 6 filo sheets in total).
3. The filling. Toast the almonds until lightly golden and let them cool for a few minutes. Chop them, then mix in the sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter and stir it into the almonds along with the egg.
4. Layer the baklava. Butter the baking dish. Lay down 6 sheets, brushing each one with melted butter, then spread the almond filling evenly over them. Top with 5 more buttered sheets.
5. Cut before baking. Brush the top with melted butter, then use a very sharp knife to cut diamond shapes all the way down to the bottom layer. Baked pastry is very crisp and breaks if you try to cut it afterward. Press an almond onto each piece.
6. Bake. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours, until deep golden.
7. Pour the honey. As soon as the baklava comes out of the oven, pour the honey over the hot pastry. Let it soak for at least 8 hours, or overnight, before serving.

Tips and Tricks for Perfect Turkish Baklava

• Clarify the butter: Melt the butter, then strain it through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the foam and milk solids. Otherwise they burn in the oven and leave dark spots on the baklava.
• Hot baklava, room-temperature honey: Pour the honey the moment the pan leaves the oven. The hot pastry soaks it up without turning soggy.
• Press out the air: Before cutting, gently press the layers with your palms, working from the center outward, to remove air pockets.
• Save the best sheets for the top: Use your neatest, most even sheets for the bottom and top layers, and the torn ones in the middle, where nobody will see them.

Make Ahead, Storage, and Freezing

• Make ahead: Baklava is best made a day before you plan to serve it, since it needs to rest after the honey goes on.
• Store: Keep it covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. The fridge makes the honey harden and the pastry chewy.
• Freeze: Freeze the pieces in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, not in the microwave, which softens the pastry.

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