• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Baking for Happiness
  • Recipes
  • About Us
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About Us
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About Us
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
  • ×

    Home » Recipes

    Traditional Baklava: Step by Step

    Written by Kathrin (Leave a Comment)

    Make traditional baklava yourself with step-by-step instructions and pictures. So you succeed in the classic dessert for sure!

    A typical baklava recipe with step-by-step instructions is my bring-back from a former vacation. Because my passion for baking doesn't let me go, of course, even when I travel. Everywhere I look for regional specialties, I look in bakeries and try to elicit tips from local bakers 😉 . Like when we were in Cyprus for a week. With this recipe, you will find that making baklava itself is not even soo complicated!

    Jump to:
    • Taste and Occasion
    • Ingredients
    • How to make the Baklava
    • Top Tip
    • Recipe Card
    • Variations
    • Nutrition
    • Reviews

    Taste and Occasion

    Fortunately, at that time, I asked the bakers and pastry chefs in our hotel if I could accompany them at work. Because so, I was there when preparing the baklava recipe. The sugary sweet treat made of dough sheets and syrup is very popular in many countries of the Arabian world as well as in Greece and Turkey, among others.

    I call it an original baklava recipe, because it comes from a region of origin. After all, according to my research, there is no single original, but only special alternatives from different countries (even if that might be seen a little differently in Turkey).

    Ingredients

    Check out my other similar recipes!
    • Turkish Borek with Spinach and Cheese
    • Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • selfmade easy tortilla chip recipe
      Tortilla Chips
    • How to make Grissini

    You need filo dough and a nut filling, be it hazelnuts, walnuts, or pistachios; A note: making baklava yourself takes some time. But the effort is worth it! High-quality filo dough or yufka dough is essential for good taste. If you buy filo dough, make sure it doesn't look too dry.

    One baklava recipe, many alternatives, one preparation method: You make some out of yufka dough or filo dough, and some out of puff pastry. The filling may contain, for example, pistachios (for Turkish), almonds, walnuts, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon (Greek), and rose water. In any baklava recipe, the preparation is similar in numerous steps: layer many thin sheets of dough on top of each other, on a foundation layer comes the filling, and the conclusion is again dough sheets. After baking, homemade baklava is soaked with a lot of syrup. Sugar or honey in masses!

    How to make the Baklava

    First of all, grind or finely chop the nuts or almonds coarsely. Mix with the cinnamon and set aside. Melt the ghee or butter. Preheat the oven to 320°F/160°C. Weigh out 200 g of filo leaves. On the bottom of an ovenproof dish (about 10*14 in / 25*35 cm), first place two layers of filo sheets (so that the entire bottom is covered with a double layer of filo). Brush with a lot of liquid ghee or butter, put two layers of sheets again, brush them with liquid ghee and continue until the 200 g are used up.

    Then, spread the nut mixture on top. Do the same with the remaining 300 g filo dough until all the dough and fat are used up: Put 2 layers of dough in each mold, spread with ghee, and so on. Finally, brush the surface with ghee. The fat should be used up entirely, after baking, pour off the excess fat. Pre-draw lines with a large knife, so you do not cut curves when cutting each baklava diamond or square… Use a smaller sharp knife to carefully cut pieces.

    Now, spray the finished prepared baklava with a bit of cold water to prevent the dough from rising too much and to crisp the surface. Bake baklava at 320°F/160°C for about 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Note: depending on the stove, it may take shorter or longer!

    Recipe Recommendation

    Turkish Borek with Spinach and Cheese

    Turkish Borek with Spinach and Cheese are delicious dough rolls from Turkish cuisine. Borek with feta cheese and spinach is a great snack and is either baked in the oven or deep-fried.

    Meanwhile, prepare the sugar syrup: In a saucepan, combine sugar and water, boil, let dissolve, and reduce over low heat for about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and optionally add rose water. When the baklava is done, you can "dump" excess ghee; to do this, hold the baking pan or baking sheet at an angle over the spout with oven mitts. Then pour the hot syrup over the baklava while it is still hot. Allow infusing and cooling. Separate the pre-cut pieces again with a knife. Enjoy!

    Top Tip

    Baklava is definitely a sumptuous dessert, but also a very delicious one. If you like it a little less sweet, you can definitely reduce the amount of sugar syrup without significant losses 😉.

    Recipe Card

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Click on the stars to rate the recipe
    No ratings yet

    Traditional Baklava

    A traditional treat from the Mediterranean and Middle East. Any kind of nuts such as walnuts or hazelnuts are suitable as filling, also pistachios or almonds. If you like it less sweet, you can reduce the amount of syrup.
    Prep Time30 mins
    Baking Time35 mins
    Servings: 50 pieces
    Calories: 112kcal

    Ingredients

    For dough and filling

    • 500 grams (2 cups) filo dough sheets, you can buy them in a Turkish store or similar
    • 200 grams (1 ⅖ cups) nuts, finely chopped or coarsely ground
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 200 grams (1 cup) ghee, alternatively butter

    For the syrup

    • 200 milliliters (⅘ cups) water
    • 300 grams (1 ½ cups) sugar
    • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
    • 20 milliliters (1 ⅖ tablespoons) rose water, optional

    Instructions

    • Coarsely grind or finely chop the nuts or almonds. Mix with the cinnamon and set aside. Melt the ghee or butter. Preheat the oven to 320°F/160°C.
    • Weigh out 200 g of filo leaves. On the bottom of an ovenproof dish (about 1014 in/ 2535 cm), first place two layers of filo sheets (so that the entire bottom is covered with a double layer of filo). Brush with a lot of liquid ghee or butter, put two layers of sheets again, brush them with liquid ghee and continue until the 200 g are used up.
    • Then spread the nut mixture on top. Do the same with the remaining 300 g filo dough until all the dough and fat are used up: Put 2 layers of dough in each mold, spread with ghee, and so on. Finally, brush the surface with ghee. The fat should be used up entirely, after baking, pour off the excess fat.
    • Pre-draw lines with a large knife, so you do not cut curves when cutting each baklava diamond or square… Use a smaller sharp knife to carefully cut pieces.
    • Spray the finished prepared baklava with a bit of cold water to prevent the dough from rising too much and to crisp the surface.
    • Bake baklava at 320°F/160°C for about 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Note: depending on the stove, it may take shorter or longer!
    • Meanwhile, prepare the sugar syrup: In a saucepan, combine sugar and water, boil, let dissolve, and reduce over low heat for about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and optionally add rose water.
    • When the baklava is done, you can "dump" excess ghee; to do this, hold the baking pan or baking sheet at an angle over the spout with oven mitts. Then pour the hot syrup over the baklava while it is still hot. Allow infusing and cooling. Separate the pre-cut pieces again with a knife.

    Ingredient substitutions

    Do you want to replace some ingredients? Here you find tips for baking ingredient substitutions!

    Variations

    Those who want to bake vegan baklava can also take vegan fat instead of ghee or butter. (The fat, by the way, does not remain entirely in the pastry.) The huge quantities from the restaurant kitchen, I have, of course, measured down to a normal baklava amount for you. If you take a small baking sheet or similar, this should have a high edge. And now, have fun baking the recipe!

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Traditional Baklava
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 112 Calories from Fat 63
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 7g11%
    Saturated Fat 3g19%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 3g
    Cholesterol 10mg3%
    Sodium 49mg2%
    Potassium 32mg1%
    Carbohydrates 12g4%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 6g7%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 1IU0%
    Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
    Calcium 4mg0%
    Iron 0.5mg3%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Similar Recipes

    • Turkish Borek with Spinach and Cheese
      0
      Turkish Borek with Spinach and Cheese
    • Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
      0
      Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Tortilla Chips
      0
      Tortilla Chips
    • How to make Grissini
      0
      How to make Grissini
    • Original Donuts
      0
      Original Donuts
    • German cinnamon stars (Zimtsterne)
      0
      German cinnamon stars (Zimtsterne)
    • Sponge Cake Basic Recipe
      0
      Sponge Cake Basic Recipe
    • Homemade Apple Strudel (Apfelstrudel)
      0
      Homemade Apple Strudel (Apfelstrudel)
    • Grandma's Easy Shortbread Biscuits
      0
      Grandma's Easy Shortbread Biscuits
    • About Kathrin & Jan

      It's like a little miracle to me every time. Seemingly simple ingredients are made into something that can brighten up your life. Butter, sugar, eggs, and flour melt into an airy biscuit, a fine tart, a juicy cake, or a crispy biscuit. Baking simply makes you happy. Welcome and enjoy our blog!

      Kathrin & Jan

      Get to know us. →

    • Traditional White Loaf Bread
      0
      Traditional White Loaf Bread
    • Pop-Tarts
      0
      Pop-Tarts
    • Cinnamon Rolls
      0
      Cinnamon Rolls
    • American Caramel Cheesecake
      0
      American Caramel Cheesecake
    • Shortcrust Pastry
      0
      Shortcrust Pastry
    • Sachertorte
      0
      Sachertorte
    • Peanut Butter Protein Balls (Low Carb)
      0
      Peanut Butter Protein Balls (Low Carb)
    • Buttermilk Scones
      0
      Buttermilk Scones
    • Protein Bars
      0
      Protein Bars
    • Pastel de Nata
      0
      Pastel de Nata
    • How to make Flapjacks at home
      0
      How to make Flapjacks at home
    • Easy & Moist Coconut Macaroons
      0
      Easy & Moist Coconut Macaroons
    • How To Make a Sourdough Starter
      0
      How To Make a Sourdough Starter
    • Best Cut Out Christmas Cookies
      0
      Best Cut Out Christmas Cookies
    • The Basic Cake Batter
      0
      The Basic Cake Batter
    • Sugarfree Cinnamon Rolls
      0
      Sugarfree Cinnamon Rolls

    More Recipes

    • Hidden Easterbunny Cake
    • savory puf pastry roses
      Savory Puff Pastry Roses
    • Layered Dessert
      Quick and Easy Eggnog Dessert
    • Eggnog Waffles with Cute Decorations
      Fluffy Eggnog Waffles

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, we're Kathrin & Jan!

    It's like a little miracle to me every time. Seemingly simple ingredients are made into something that can brighten up your life. Butter, sugar, eggs, and flour melt into an airy biscuit, a fine tart, a juicy cake, or a crispy biscuit. Baking is what makes us happy.

    Welcome and enjoy our blog!
    Learn more about us. →

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Baking for Happiness

    Privacy Policy | Contact