Turkish Baklava

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Turkish baklava is a sweet and rich pastry made of layers of filo dough, filled with chopped nuts, sweetened with syrup or honey, and typically cut into diamond-shaped pieces.

What is Baklava?

The concept of baklava is simple. Phyllo pastry, nuts, and a simple sugar syrup. In the world of desserts, baklava isn’t just a treat; it’s an experience. The delicate crunch, the nutty symphony, and the sweet sticky sugar syrup.

Key Ingredients:

• Phyllo Sheets: You have the flexibility to choose any phyllo sheets you prefer. I usually purchase mine from the Arabic grocery store, and they are also available in many Greek, Turkish, or Iranian local grocers. Surprisingly, I have even spotted them in places like Walmart and Giant.
  • Ensure that every phyllo sheet is generously greased. This step is crucial for achieving that delightful crisp texture. Feel free to cut the sheets to fit your baking tray. I had to do this for a couple of video comparisons.
  • To prevent the phyllo sheets from drying up, cover them with a towel. It’s essential to work swiftly because once they are out of the plastic wrapping, they begin to dry up, making them challenging to work with.
• Pistachios: Given that pistachios can be quite expensive, I opted to remove the shells from all of mine to save costs. If you can find unsalted and unshelled pistachios, that would be ideal and save you a significant amount of time. Ground these pistachios up, you can use a food processor or a mortar and pestle.
• Syrup: Some Turkish recipes will typically prepare the simple syrup with a hint of orange blossom or even rose water. Whether or not to add these floral notes is entirely your preference. I didn’t include it in the Turkish simple syrup recipe.

Turkish Baklava vs Greek Baklava vs Syrian Baklava Food Feuds

Food Feuds is a series where we rate similar dishes from different countries to figure out who makes it better. Kickin’ it with Sal did a food feuds on baklava comparing Turkish Style vs Syrian Style vs Greek Style baklava.

When I released that video, I got thousands of comments letting me know who makes it best. I will let you watch the video to find out who won this feud. I was also told by many users that baklava is a Turkish OG dish.

@kickinitwithsal

♬ dance(256762) – TimTaj

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Finely Chopped Pistacio
• 1 lb of Phyllo Dough sheets, defrosted
• 8 tablespoons of melted Ghee (Butter if you don’t have this)

For the Syrup

• Juice of 1/2 of Lemon
• 2 and 1/2 cup Sugar
• 2 and 1/2 cup Water

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a 9×13 baking dish, add one or two layers of phyllo dough and spread melted ghee on top of each layer. Repeat for 10 layers of phyllo dough.
3. Add 1 1/2 cup of pistachios on top of the 10th sheet of phyllo dough. Leave a 1/2 cup of pistachios for garnish.
4. Now repeat step 1. Add one to two layers of phyllo dough and spread melted ghee on top of each layer. Repeat for 10 layers of phyllo dough.. Make sure the last layer is coated well with butter.
5. Use a knife to cut squares through the baklava, Transfer baklava to the oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
6. In the meantime, add sugar, water and lemon juice into a pot and heat on medium-low for 20mins. Turkish syrup tends to be less viscous.
7. Take baklava out of the oven and immediately pour the hot sugar syrup on top of the baklava. There should be a sizzle and bubble.
8. Sprinkle remainder of pistachios on each baklava square.
9. Let it cool and enjoy!