Making Baklava Is Easy

Before we start - If this article bores you, please skip to the bottom below the recipe and read my little afterword! I understand my articles aren't for everyone - but I have a really important request for EVERYONE who ends up on this article down there. PLEAAAASE, with a cherry on top? Thank you very much for your time!

Now, enough groveling and more writing. lol

I hadn't tried a lot of pastries before I started baking.

I did not have a lot of chances to. I don't visit bakeries often, and I don't often order dessert when eating out. Baking provided more of an opportunity for me to expand my dessert horizons than my everyday life. I quickly found out that the idea of pastries intimidated me.

Logically, my anxiety over pastries doesn’t make sense. I have made quite a few of them now and discovered most of the time they are much easier than I thought.

Maybe it’s the length of the recipe directions. Two-page-long recipes can be visually daunting. For example, the meat pies that I made for the first time last night. It was a big recipe, with two separate ingredient lists and 4 steps, as well as several hours to prep and make. But as I got into the steps, it was easy. I had been putting off this new recipe for months because the recipe on paper looked daunting.

My experience was similar when I first made baklava.

The first time I participated in The Greatest Baker competition (please give me a free vote while you're here!), Jess looked at me and said: "I have a baking challenge for you if you're interested."

At the time, I didn't realize how intense this baking challenge was (I should have at least fancied the idea it was going to be intense, it's hosted by The Cake Boss!) and I thought I might have a gleaning of making second or third place. And the only natural thing for a Taurus to do when they think they have a fighting chance is to be a little cocky. I accepted the challenge without even hearing it first (stay humble guys. Don't be like me).

My heart dropped and regret filled me when she told me she was homesick for some good old-fashioned baklava. I had never eaten it before, so I had no idea what it was supposed to taste like.

But I'm a Taurus. I got myself into that mess, and I was going to get myself out, via success with my pride intact. And I did succeed - then I felt silly for being so intimidated in the first place.

The most difficult thing about pastries is time consumption.

I am still learning how to go outside of my comfort zone, and pushing myself to try new things. I have a severe anxiety about 'failure.' So every time I successfully try something new, there's a nice little proud feeling that I don't get to enjoy often.

This year in my first week of the competition again, I decided to revisit the baklava, and instead of just following the recipe I took a little ownership over the recipe, and added some creative touches. And it's delicious.

The Equipment You Need For Baklava

A 9"x 13" x 2" baking dish. Or any other baking dish that you might have - depending on the amount of baklava you want to make.

A food processor - unless you buy the nuts pre-finely chopped.

A mixing spoon.

An extremely sharp knife (or a not-so-sharp knife, but your life will be harder).

A pastry basting brush. I use silicone, because they are affordable and much easier to sanitize and de-germ.

(These are affiliate links, if you purchase an item from one of them, I may receive a commission for it. You will not be charged extra for the product)

The Ingredients

1. Nuts. A lot of them. Use your favorites - though the traditional nuts used in baklava are walnuts and pistachios. Almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans are also popular choices. I used walnuts and almonds in the dish pictured since I have around 700 lbs (a slight exaggeration) of each of those for some reason (baking competitions really have a way of messing up your influx of pantry solicitors).

2. Honey. Lots of honey. Not one of the little bear containers. Personal tip: I like DARK honey better, and I like to shop locally for mine.

Did you know? It's said that eating local honey where you live for extended periods will help your body acclimate better to the allergens in your habitat. While there isn't much evidence that supports this theory yet, it can't hurt to try right? I don't have a lot of allergies in nature, so I am unable to do this experiment for myself.

3. Phyllo pastry SHEETS (Unless you're going to do cute little bite-size baklava then get the little phyllo cups)

4. About a cup of melted unsalted butter.

5. White Granulated Sugar - depending on the batch of baklava, this will vary. I like to make my baklava very sticky and honey-coated, so I make a lot of the simple honey syrup that goes over it.

6. Water

7. Vanilla Extract

8. Lemon zest OR juice (most people use zest in their syrup, I use the lemon juice because I like a stronger hint of lemon in my baklava)

9. Cinnamon

Optional Ingredients:

• Orange, almond, or lemon extract.
• Chocolate chips.
• Nutmeg
• Allspice

The Time Consuming - But Super Easy Process Of Making Baklava!

I'm going to tell you my process - but I always google recipes of whatever I am making and compare them. It not only reminds me that I have creative liberties I can take with my cooking, but also teaches me tips and tricks from other bakers and chefs on their tips and tricks! I encourage you to do the same.

Before you start - make sure your phyllo sheets are thawed. Keep them IN their box and their plastic wrapping until you are ready to use them. They dry out very quickly and become unpliable. Also - preheat that oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (170ish C).

Start With The Honey Syrup

A lot of people don't start with this step, but I do because as I mentioned, I like my baklava very sticky and honey-covered. I like the caramelization that happens on the bottom of the baklava when you have enough syrup to REALLY soak into the bottom layers of nuts and phyllo. So I usually make double the syrup others do.

I take 3 cups of water, and 3 cups of granulated sugar, and bring them to a hard boil. When it begins to boil, turn it down to medium-low. I usually squeeze the juice out of a whole lemon and add it into the mixture (if you are NOT a fan of lemon-flavored honey, use a teaspoon of lemon or orange zest instead. The flavor isn't as bold when using the zest) as well as a splash (about 2 teaspoons) of vanilla extract, and let it simmer until it's boiled down to half its amount, usually about 30 minutes.

If you are feeling creative, try adding orange, lemon or almond extract also to the syrup, to create subtle but powerful changes to the taste of the baklava.

Time-Saving Hack: While The Syrup Is Simmering, Work On The Filling

I'll be honest, math isn't my strong suit. So measuring isn't either.

For my 9"x 13" inch, I used about 2 cups of walnuts and 2 cups of almonds. Give or take.

Throw your chosen tree proteins in the food processor and murder them until they are finely chopped - but don't turn them into nut powder either.

Mix them up with some cinnamon (and if you're feeling really spicy, some nutmeg or allspice) to your liking. Not everyone enjoys cinnamon equally, and I encourage you to use the amount that you enjoy.

Chances are, your sauce is still simmering, so work on your layers now.

Take your butter and melt it, however you prefer (I use a stovetop, you don't want your butter to boil or cook).

Prepare your thawed phyllo dough but unwrapping it, and laying it on a clean kitchen towel flat, then placing another clean kitchen towel on top of them. This keeps them from becoming hard - as phyllo dough sheets are VERY thin, and dry out in minutes when exposed to air (one of those tips I learned from other baking bloggers and it's bonafide legit).

Take your pastry basting brush, and shmeaarrrrr that butta on the baking dish, and on the walls of it. Lay about 6 phyllo sheets on the bottom of this pan, and then shmearrrrr some more butta on it. Have fun with the shmearing, because there's a lot of it in this process.

Take a good chunk of your finely chopped nuts and spices, and cover the phyllo dough sheet in a layer of it, to the depth of your liking. Take 3 or 4 sheets of phyllo dough and lay them on top of your nut filling.

Reminder: Check on your syrup. Is it done? Take it off the heat when it is, and start letting it cool.

Take your brush and your butter, and put a nice generous layer of butter on the new layer of phyllo sheets. Then add more nut stuff. Then more phyllo. Then more butter. Then more nuts.

Until you have the desired amount of baklava layers in your dish. I like to fill mine to the top.

The final layer of pastry is the same as the bottom, about 6 phyllo sheets. Smear some butter on the top of them. Then you take your sharp knife, and you cut your baklava BEFORE you bake it. I like to make mine fancy and cut it diagonally, in 2-inch rectangles.

Personal tip: I also drizzle just a LITTLE if the honey syrup over each layer too.

For a little extra fun garnish and texture, I sprinkle a bit of granulated sugar on top of the top buttered layer of phyllo, before popping them in that pre-heated oven for about 40 minutes.

Ovens vary, and crazy things like altitude affect the rate at which things cook in them. So make sure you are checking your baklava periodically (don't open the oven, use the light if you can). You want it to be golden and slightly crispy. This is the reason you cut it before baking it too. Phyllo sheets cooked to perfection should crackle and crisp, which would make your pasty look broken should you cut it after. This was something I wish I had learned BEFORE my FIRST baklava!

Go rest while your baklava is baking, and your syrup is cooling! You earned it.

When your baklava is done baking, bring it out of the oven, and evenly pour your cooled (but still warm) honey syrup over your dish. Make sure it's thoroughly distributed, and allow your phyllo to really soak up that honey.

LET IT COOL!

Nothing else gets done with your BEAUTIFUL baklava until it's cooled down for several hours. Not even eating, sadly. It must wait! And it's worth it. It's too hot for a long time after bringing it from the oven and pouring the syrup to eat anyway.

After letting your beautiful pastry sit (covered in aluminum or something) on the counter (or in the fridge if you like to time-skip as I do) you can garnish it with a few lines of chocolate like I did, or more crushed nuts (crumbled pistachios look really pretty on top). The chocolate is a great flavor accent to the nuts.

If you do the chocolate, I highly recommend refrigerating your baklava before you do so. Melted chocolate on something warm just spreads like melted candle wax. As you drizzle your chocolate on a cold surface it will cool rapidly and solidify, preventing smears and smudges.

Or you can just... eat it.

Have fun baking baklava!

Thank you for reading my article, everyone! I am participating in 2024's Greatest Baker competition. I would REALLY appreciate a free vote via Facebook through the link below if you have the time!

The Greatest Baker is in conjunction with the Andrew McDonough B+ (Be Positive) Foundation. B+ develops and researches, making cutting-edge advancements in the battle against pediatric cancers, as well as providing financial aid and emotional support to families across America who are fighting childhood cancer.

That means that I AM looking for 100 people who have $10 to spare to purchase votes through my profile in the challenge, to raise money and make a difference for a child in America who has pediatric cancer.

If you could share my profile on your social media, that would be more than enough to help me find 100 people who have $10 to spare.

Thank you so much!

Find my fictional fantasy book "Memoirs of the In-Between" on Amazon in paperback, eBook, and hardback.

You can also find it in the Apple Store.

Use the code J3F-HK4-I0K for a 20% discount on your purchase of my book on the Campfire Reading app.

And if you like pretty things - check out the author's merch store - where all money goes right back into advertising.

Like and Follow the Memoirs Facebook age here!