Spicy Baklava
6 servings
60 minutes
Spicy baklava is an Eastern delicacy from Turkey, known for its rich nutty flavor and aromatic spices. Its thin layers of crispy dough soaked in butter combine with a delicate nut filling that is fragrant with cardamom and cinnamon. After baking, baklava becomes golden and crunchy, while the sweet honey syrup fills it with depth of flavor. This dessert has a rich history: it is traditionally made for holidays and family celebrations to delight loved ones with true Eastern sweetness.
1
Since our dough is ready, we leave it to thaw (if it just came from the fridge).
2
At this time, we prepare the filling.
3
Chop the nuts and mix with sugar in a 50/50 ratio. I take 350-400 g of each.
- Nuts: 300 g
- Sugar: 300 g
4
It's best to grind in a special nut grinder or meat grinder, but I have neither, so I had to use a food processor. The downside is that if you overdo it, you'll get nut paste, and if you underdo it, there will be large chunks left.
5
We add a spoonful of cardamom and cinnamon. It's better to find ground cardamom.
- Cardamom: 1 teaspoon
- Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon
6
We are rolling out the dough. A 400-gram package usually contains 2 sheets.
7
We divide one sheet into 2 parts — these will be the lower and upper layers of the baklava (they should be slightly thicker than the others).
8
Divide the second part into 4 pieces — these will be the middle layers of our baklava.
9
We start layering our layers into a buttered mold (you can also use baking paper like I do). Before layering, melt the butter that we will use to grease the layers of dough. We place the first layer.
- Butter: 100 g
10
Grease the dough with melted butter and sprinkle with the prepared filling. Make the filling layer generous but not too thick. Then place the next layer of dough, grease with butter, sprinkle with filling, and so on — all layers.
- Nuts: 300 g
- Sugar: 300 g
11
The last layer is brushed with beaten egg yolk (for a nice crust). Now the baklava needs to be cut (it's hard to do after baking). It's usually cut into diamonds, but I prefer square shapes.
- Chicken egg: 1 piece
12
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the baklava for 30 minutes. While the baklava is in the oven, prepare the syrup. Dissolve honey (4-5 tablespoons) in 3/4 cup of warm water. If the honey doesn't dissolve well, you can warm the container over a double boiler. If making without honey, dissolve 1 cup of sugar in 0.5 cup of warm water.
- Honey: 200 g
- Sugar: 300 g
13
After 30 minutes, take the baklava out of the oven and generously pour the prepared syrup over it. The baklava should almost sink in it. Leave it to cool and soak.