I've always been fascinated by Middle Eastern desserts, and Egyptian Baklava is my all-time favorite. This recipe is a staple in my house. I actually made this recipe SOO many times.
Crispy layers of phyllo pastry stuffed with mixed nuts and drizzled with simple syrup! YUM!
Egyptian Baklava
Growing up in Egypt and learning from my mom and grandma how to master many Egyptian desserts made me perfect this baklava recipe.
My daughter used to ask me, Is baklave Egyptian? I usually answer that it is not only Egyptian; it is Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Turkish, Greek, and more.
This recipe requires only a few simple ingredients: phyllo pastry, butter, mixed nuts, and homemade sugar syrup.
Now, let's dive into the secrets and tips for making this delicious Egyptian dessert.
Syrup
The first thing I prepare when making baklava is the sugar syrup because it needs to be completely cool before pouring it over the baklava as soon as it comes out of the oven.
To make the syrup, I use granulated sugar, water, vanilla extract and a few drops of lemon juice.
Phyllo Pastry Sheets
First, I lay the phyllo pastry sheets on the table and put the baking pan I will use on top of them. Then, I use a sharp knife to cut around the pan so the sheets are the same size as the pan.
After that, I just layer the sheets in the baking pan and brush them with butter.
Note: Cover your phyllo pastry sheets with a kitchen towel; otherwise, they will dry out and become sooo hard to work with.
Note: I highly recommend using fresh phyllo pastry sheets; I mean, the stored ones are usually brittle.
Nuts
I use pistachios, almonds and hazelnuts.
I like my baklava to have a bit of texture, so I usually put the nuts in the food processor and blitz a few times until they are finely chopped and have some tiny chunks, not turned into powder.
Cut The Baklava
I cut my Baklava before baking it because once baked, it is so crunchy and breaks easily. Also, to allow the syrup to seep into each piece.
Cut it the way you like, diagonal cuts or square cuts; all will work just fine.
Make sure to cut through all the layers and use a sharp knife!
More Middle Eastern Desserts
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Recipe
Egyptian Baklava
Ingredients
Syrup
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ lemon juice
Nuts
- 1 cup pistachios
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 cup hazelnuts
Baklava
- ½ cup butter , melted
- 1 packet phyllo pastry sheets
Instructions
- Prepare the syrup: Add water, sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring to a boil.
- Then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool completely.
- Prepare the nuts: In the food processor, add pistachios, almonds and hazelnuts and blitz a few times until they are finely chopped and have some tiny chunks.
- Make baklava: Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F.
- Grease the bottom and the sides of a 20x30 cm baking pan with butter.
- Put one phyllo sheet in the pan and brush it with the melted butter. Then, put another phyllo sheet over it and brush it with butter, too. Repeat until you have 10 sheets in total.
- Sprinkle about ½ cup of chopped nuts on top evenly.
- Repeat the previous until you have 4-5 layers of nuts (based on how many phyllo sheets you have).
- Brush the top with butter, cut the baklava tray diagonally using a sharp knife.
- Bake it for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Remove it from the oven, pour the cooled syrup over it. Allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes. Then serve!
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