Baklawa (Lebanese Baklava)
Baklawa, a mouthwatering dessert of layered golden filo pastry, with crushed walnuts and a drizzle of sugar syrup. This is the best baklawa recipe will ever need. Thank me later!
Servings: 34 pieces
Calories: 11332kcal
Equipment
- Hand held mixer or beater
Ingredients
Atter (Sugar Syrup)
- 1½ cup White Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Water
- ½ teaspoon Rose Water
- ½ teaspoon Orange Blossom Water
- 1 teaspoon Lemon juice fresh
Hashweh (Filling)
- 750 g Crushed walnuts
- 115 ml Orange Blossom Water
- 115 ml Rose water
- 25 g Sugar granulated
Baklava
- 750 g Filo Pastry thawed (40 sheets)
- 25 g Sugar granulated (divided into 2)
- 320 g Vegetable Ghee melted and warm
- 20 g Pistachio crushed (for garnish)
Instructions
Prepare Atter (Sugar Syrup)
- Over high heat, add sugar and water. Stir for 30 seconds and bring to the boil. Once boiling add rose water/orange blossom water and then add lemon juice, continuously stirring for 1 minute and then allow to boil for 2 more minutes. Set aside to cool. (see pro tips)
Prepare hashweh (filling)
- Roughly chop walnuts into small pieces. Add chopped walnuts in a bowl with 1 tbs of sugar and ¼ cup of rose water / orange blossom water. Mix with hands until mixture holds together but can still crumble.
Assemble Baklawa
- Brush baking tray with a light coating of vegetable ghee. Place 20 filo dough flat into the tray. Spray 1 teaspoon of sugar onto the dough. Evenly Spread hashweh (filling) on top. Spray 1 teaspoon of sugar onto hashweh and then over with another 20 layers of filo dough. Tuck edges in using your fingers.
- Pat down and press pastry firmly so it compacts together really well. Cut into diamonds (or desired shape) and cover with warm vegetable ghee.
- Place into a preheated oven of 180C (356F) on the ¾ shelf (lower than mid shelf). Bake for 15 minutes and then turn the tray around. Bake for another 50-60minutes.
- Once baklawa is baked, take out of the oven and drain excess ghee immediately. Lightly coat in a cold sugar syrup. Sprinkle with crush pistachio. Allow baklawa to completely cool at room temperature for a couple of hours before re-cutting and serving. See pro tips.
Video
Notes
- You can add a little bit more sugar in the walnut if you desire
- Baklawa is always served cold.
- Hashweh must not contain too much moisture, moisture will cause the filling to bake a dark colour which is not ideal.
- A spray of sugar on top of the bottom layer of filo dough and on top of the hashweh helps the dough stick to the hashweh (filling)
- Tuck in the edges as tightly as you can without ripping the delicate dough
- Patting down pastry is super imperative to the success of constructing a successful batlawa, it’s one of the factors for making sure there is no separation between the layers
- Whilst baking, if the baklawa doesn’t dry in the oven, the layers will seperate from each other
- Warm vegetable ghee is important, hot vegetable ghee will not soak through all layers. Each piece must be covered in vegetable ghee.
- The first 15 minutes are important when baking, as it’s when the layers are baking into each other. DO NOT open the oven beforehand. After rotating the tray, check in every 10 minutes. The last 10 minutes are crucial as pastry will brown quickly.
- As soon as the baklawa is baked and taken out of the oven, it must be drained of excess vegetable ghee so it doesn’t soak up any excess.
- Applying atter (sugar syrup) - the following rules must be followed otherwise you will end up with soggy baklawa. Apply cold sugar syrup to hot pastry or hot sugar syrup to cold pastry.
- Most likely not all the atter (sugar syrup) will be used, left overs can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one month. Atter is also used on Atayef, another mouthwatering Arabic dessert
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 11332kcal | Carbohydrates: 848g | Protein: 168g | Fat: 854g | Saturated Fat: 137g | Trans Fat: 42g | Sodium: 3660mg | Potassium: 3875mg | Fiber: 65g | Sugar: 370g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 828mg | Iron: 46mg