Turkish Baklava
Submitted by juan
Turkish baklava layered with cinnamon-and-clove spiced walnuts between dozens of buttered phyllo sheets, then drenched in fragrant clove syrup. Crisp, flaky, and honey-sweet, cut into the classic diamond pieces.
YIELD
24 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
45 minREADY
1 hrsReal baklava lives or dies by the butter. Every single sheet of phyllo gets brushed so the layers bake up shatteringly crisp instead of fusing into one doughy slab. Skimp here and you lose the flake that makes baklava worth the work.
This Turkish version fills the layers with walnuts rather than pistachios, chopped medium-fine and tossed with sugar, cinnamon, and ground cloves for warm spice in every bite.
One trick worth knowing: cut the diamonds before it bakes, not after. A knife shatters crisp baked pastry, but glides cleanly through the soft buttered layers going in.
The finish is all about temperature contrast. You pour boiling clove syrup over fully cooled baklava so it hisses, soaks deep, and stays crisp instead of turning to mush. Let it cool again completely before serving with strong coffee and dried apricots.
Pro Tips
- Keep the phyllo stack under a damp towel while you work. Left uncovered it dries to brittle crumbs in minutes.
- Spread a walnut layer every 6 to 8 sheets, not between every single one, so the pastry stays the star.
- Hot syrup over cool pastry is the rule. Pour hot syrup onto hot baklava and it turns gummy.
- It actually improves overnight as the syrup settles in, so make it a day ahead of company.
Variations
- Swap half the walnuts for pistachios or almonds for a different nutty profile.
- Drop a strip of orange or lemon zest into the syrup as it simmers.
- Stir a spoonful of honey or a splash of rosewater into the finished syrup for a floral, Levantine note.
Ingredients
Directions
Chop walnuts to medium fine and mix with 1 cup sugar, ¼ Teaspoon ground Cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves.
Melt Butter.
Cut phyllo in half so that each sheet fits the bottom of the Baking Pan.
Generously butter the bottom and sides of the baking pan and place the phyllo, one sheet at a a time, in the baking pan. Generously spread butter on each sheet of fillo as it is placed in the pan. Every 6 to 8 sheets of Fillo spread a layer of walnut mix. Continue layering Fillo sheets and walnuts until Fillo is complete. Pour any remaining butter over top of the Baklava. The secret to good flaky Baklava is to have each sheet of Fillo well buttered so that the sheets do not stick together.
With a sharp knife, cut the Baklava diagonally to form diamond shaped pieces.
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃) and bake the Baklava for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
SYRUP Mix one cup water, two cups sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves and either ¾ teaspoons Cinnamon or the Cinnamon stick in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Pour the boiling syrup over the cool Baklava and allow to cool completely again. When cool serve individual pieces with strong (Turkish) sweet coffee and dried apricots for an exquisite dessert.
Comments
Homemade Turkish Baklava Is Being Magnificent. It is very difficult not to fall in love with this dessert that carries the traces of Ottoman cuisine.