Like I said before, I LOVE Baklava! I mean! Just take a look at recipe index and you will see that this is my third recipe of Baklava! However this is not just a regular one, this is The Ultimate Baklava!! (and by far my most favourite one).
Every time I look at it, it’s so cute that actually melts my heart. For sure making it took more than 2 hours from me (excluding the cooking time), but it was definitely worth it. (Just so you know, assembling the regular Baklava takes 30 minutes at most!
One bite and you will absolutely fall in love with this Recipe.
Meanwhile most of the Baklava recipes are with pistachio like my previous recipe, I like walnut Baklava instead. This is totally your preference. I wrote this one with walnut but you can absolutely substitute it with pistachio.
There are very few ingredients that you need to make this recipe but you will be amazed by the complexity of flavours. Thanks to cardamom, saffron, rose water and star anise!
There are few things that you probably need to know about this recipe:
- You need Phyllo dough which you can find it frozen in almost every grocery store. Just take it out of the freezer 1 hour before start to making it to defrost and you’re good to go.
- I used a 10inch baking dish in this recipe with almost 2 packs of Phyllo dough. You can make it in the size that you want, either smaller or bigger.
- Phyllo dough dries out really quickly and to avoiding it, cover it with wet towel once you open the package.
- You have to pour the room temperature syrup on top of hot Baklava otherwise your Baklava turns soggy. To do that you can make the syrup before starting to roll the phyllo doughs or once it’s in the oven.
- I really recommend you to serve this Baklava within max 2 days but if you had to store it, freez the leftovers and just take it out of the freezer 1 hour before serving it to defrost.
Ingredients
For Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
5-6 whole cardamom
3-4 star anise
2 tablespoon rosewater
¼ teaspoon ground saffron
For Baklava
2 pack Phyllo dough
1 ½ cup walnut
½ tablespoon cardamom (grounded)
1 tablespoon cinnamon (grounded)
5 tablespoon melted butter (or enough to lightly brush all the layers)
Pinch of salt
Instruction
Start with syrup:
In a small saucepan bring water, sugar, cardamom and star anis to boil.
Once the sugar dissolved, turn of the heat, add rosewater and saffron.
Stir and put it aside to come to the room temperature.
For Baklava:
Preheat the oven to 350˚F
In a mixer ground walnut till most of it is finely grounded with some small chunks.
Mix the grounded walnut with cardamom, cinnamon and a pinch of salt.
Take all the Phyllo dough out of the package and stack them on top of each other on a cutting board.
Cut the dough lengthwise, with 5-6 centimetre width. You will have 30-40 centimeters long rolls (depending on a brand), with 5-6 centimeters width.
Take one layer of the cut phyllo dough, lightly brush it all with melted butter and put another layer on top. Repeat this with one more layer. You should have 3 layers phyllo on top of each other with melted butter between each layer. (Keep the rest of the cut phyllo dough under a lightly wet towel to avoid drying out.
Grab one tablespoon of walnut mixture and spread it over the phyllo that you layered.
Fold it lengthwise in half.
Roll your dough and you will have a small rosette. Put your rosette in middle of your baking dish.
Repeat the last 4 steps over and once done, roll it around the first rosette tightly.
Keep doing this till your rosette is big enough and filled all your baking dish. You should have a very big rosette like the photo.
Bake it in the oven for 45-50 minutes or till the color is golden brown.
Take the Baklava out of the oven and immediately pour the room temperature syrup on all over the top. Let it cool and garnish the top with ground pistachio and dried rose petals.
Cut it like cake and enjoy.
نوش جان
