# Homemade Baklava (A Turkish Dessert) Owwww!!! :)



## bidiboom (Feb 3, 2010)

*Ingredients :*

1 glass=200cc.water

*For dough:*
1 glass of milk 
¼ glass of vinegar (preferably apple vinegar)
¼ glass of olive oil
1 egg
Flour (enough to make a rather hard dough)

*For filling:*
Cracked walnut (some 1/2 kg, use in amounts as you wish) 

*For syrup:*
5 glasses of granulated sugar 
4 glasses of water
1 slice of lemon (some ½ cm thick)

*For rolling process:*
Flour 
Starch (preferably from wheat)

*For baking:*
200 gr. butter (liquified before use) 

*Instructions :* 

*Preparation of syrup (it should be cold when its turn come) :*
1. Put all of the syrup ingredients in a pot and boil, first vigorously, and lowering heat, simmer 2-3 minutes more.
2. Cool it. 

*Preparation of dough:*
1. Put the milk, vinegar, olive oil and egg in a bowl and pour flour, just enough to have a rather hard dough, and knead. 
2. Cover it with a moist cloth and keep in fridge for 20 minutes.
3. Right before rolling the dough, get it out of the fridge, cut in roughly 7 even pieces, round in your hands and make a ball every one of them, put in a pan sprinkled with flour, and covering again with a moist cloth, put the pan back in the fridge.

*Rolling the dough (these steps are to be followed for every one of 7 dough balls) :*
1. Take one of the dough balls from the fridge, put on a little heap of flour, sprinkle some flour over it and with a rod (appr.1inch thin, long roller), start to roll out. Until you enlarge it as much as a plate (roughly an opened hand width) use flour; from then on use only starch. You should sprinkle starch at every roll, just enough to avoid sticking, and spread with your hand. 


















2. The flattened dough may be somewhat thick, or very thin; it's up to you, your familiarity, artistry, and of couse your wish. But it must be a round leaf with approximately 50-60cm (appr.20-25 inch) of diameter and you must be able to see the other side.









3. Cross-cut it in four quarter leaflets.










4. Place the cracked walnuts on a regular line on the outermost round edge of the quarter leaflet.










5. From outside to inside cover the leaflet over the walnuts; By rolling to the tip, make a thick rope.




























6. Wind it up.
(Since there is limitation in picture upload, I couldn't upload the other pictures of application. To see the detailed pictures, please click the link below)
Homemade Baklava (A Dessert with Dough and Syrup) | Recipes Turkish DESSERT RECIPES Ingredients For dough 1 glass of
7. Put this bundle in the oven pan which is oiled with liquified butter. Cover the bundles with a gauze (or any "light" cloth). 

*Last stage:*
1. Liquify the butter in a pot on the oven.
2. Butter well all of the bundles in the oven pan, with the help of a soft brush.
3. Before placing the pan in the oven get it to the high temperature, and after placing the pan, keep the heat at moderate level.
4. When the bundles roasted well, get it out of the oven and pour the cool syrup over the bundles so that every one of them should absorb the syrup. Leave the bundles in syrup for a couple of hours.

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*Tips :*

1. The dough should be "just a little bit" stiffer than the softness of earlobe when you pinch it. In the feel scale, as it gets closer to the soft end, it becomes easier to stick on itself during roll and it needs more starch to avoid sticking. On the other hand, as it gets closer the hard end, this time it becomes much harder to roll and you see that it hardly enlarges for it has an inclination to shrink back because of its stiffness. Don't forget : a little bit stiffer than earlobe.

2. As you roll, you will see that the dough sheet will gain many crinkles. It is natural for this pastry; never mind it.

3. Starch has a lot of benefits : It avoids sticking; Creating a slippery layer between dough layers, it helps to roll not even one dough leaf, but tens of them, in the hands of a master. Also as you sprinkle it every now and then, the dough absorbs starch and helps the dough to be consistent. This consistency helps to gain a thinner leaf. You can't get the dough that thin with flour, if you use instead of starch. But instead of sprinkling, if you use a lot of it or if your dough is so soft and to avoid sticking, if you have to use a lot, then the leaf comes out as somewhat crispy, because excess starch gives such a feel. In commercial baklava products, and for many Turks as well  its something desirable. But homemade baklavas don't have this property much. Homemade baklavas mostly comes out as less crispy and more soft, which actually makes it more yummy for the ones fond of that taste.

4. In commercial versions the filler is not used much. At home you are serving to your beloved ones and yourself -presumably--. So you may unleash your walnut bag as you wish! If you prefer a crunchy feel, leave the walnuts cracked big, if not, you can granulate it to dust. It's totally up to you, but in general, the observation is so that, contrarily to the commercial baklavas, the cracked walnuts are more appreciated.

5. This is important : After rolling out the leaf, cross-cutting in four pieces and putting the walnuts on a regular line of its round edge, you will cover the edge of the leaflet on the walnuts and roll to the end. Here is the thing : When you cover the walnuts with the edge of leaflet, if you crinkle the leaflet with walnuts inside, by pushing to the opposite ends with your hands, you gain a more airy bundle at the end. This gives a more light-and-easy feel to the dessert. If you roll and wind up without crinkles, the leaf layers somewhat stick to each other in the bundle and it gains a more thick and stiff texture, which is certainly not desirable.

6. As you prepare the new bundles, to avoid the prepared ones in the oven pan to dry, you should cover them with a well moisted and light-wieght cloth, preferably a gauze. If you use a cloth in normal-weight or thick in texture, it presses over the delicate bundles and make them sticked inside; This gives a thick and stiff feel to the dessert. 

7. You must pour the cool syrup over the hot bundles, as soon as they come out of the oven.

8. To knead the doug, you should use latex gloves for hygiene; but in rolling the dough it may be hard to do it with gloves. So in any case, you should cut your fingernails, brush with fingernail brush, and wash a couple of times with a cleansing agent, namely a soap. 
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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

I think many Greeks, Lebanese, Libyans, Syrians (and others) may argue about the origins of this dish!


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## bidiboom (Feb 3, 2010)

I am 43 and from my childhood I see that it is cooked in "every" region of Turkey Ishbel.. but Turkish cuisine is kind of a fusion cuisine, and our roots are getting together at many points with other cuisines in this geography.. maybe this dessert is one of them.. but I am very much positive that yes, it is a Turkish dessert.. but there may be other versions as well.. I would love to know all other versions.. thats wealth of life


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

Your Baklava looks lovely, although not as i would usually imagine it. Are these photos of your own successes? As Ishbel states, there are so many variations and i know only the layered filo pastry type, using walnuts and pistachios and orange flower water in the syrup. 
I could never be bothered to make my own pastry, but total koudos to you Bidiboom if thats your choice.

Baklava has to be the most popular gift i have ever taken when visiting friends


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## bidiboom (Feb 3, 2010)

Thank you Bughut  yes the pictures are mine.. the other day I visited my doctor.. I love him and his wife and cooked for them  by the way, I took the pictures of the phases as well.. I feel so that the best thing you can give someone is your care and labor.. a delight you make with your love and hands  it is felt very well 

In fact mostly --at least in Turkey-- baklava is made as phyllo layers with stuff inside.. but these rolls (called rose baklava  is another version which is well accepted.. and I have never seen that orange flower water is used.. interesting! in general we prepare the syrup with sugar, water and (to avoid cristalization) lemon.. nomore.

Do YOU take baklava from the visiting friends, or do you bring THEM baklava as a gift? Though in both cases, it is interesting to hear this from someone from Scotland  baklava and Scotland .. good )


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

>I feel so that the best thing you can give someone is your care and labor.. a delight you make with your love and hands  it is felt very well  <

I think this is a sentiment that many of us at Chef talk feel bidiboom.

Are you based in Turkey?

We know Baklava well in Dundee, as we have a couple of Turkish restaurants that serve it.(one from Anitolia.My Favourite. Spent my 50th birthday there) and a continental market a few times a year where we can buy it. (very expensive) I used to use it on the desert menu of my catering business. i like to treat my friends with it sometimes. If we're serving it hot, we use Kulfi. (indian icecream made with condensed milk, cardomoms and pistachios.) It really compements the Baklava


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## bidiboom (Feb 3, 2010)

Very much interesting for me.. forgive for saying the same thing again and again, but I really didnt expect this.. I was thinking that our cuisine was too heavy to digest for North Europeans who prefer a lighter cuisine.. hmm.. good to hear this  another touch point..

And yes I am from Turkey and lived all my life here .. a pure native Turk  and from the region of my daddy, South, I learnt the meat and cracked wheat foods.. and from mom, from Central Anatolia, the pastries..

If you have a catering firm, you may try this homemade rose baklava  but this may not be commercially good since your customers will die for it  hahaha..

I will pass one another recipe.. lentil balls.. but in my way.. bughut it is both delicious and healthy.. lentile, cracked wheat, onion, parsley, mint and spices.. it includes all protein, carbohydrate, vegetables and herbs.. its a recipe from South.. lets see whether you love it or not.. though maybe even you have tasted at those restaurants .. I think tomorrow I can do it.. 

See you


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

I look forward to your lentil recipe. The only way i use cracked wheat (Bulgar) is for Tabbouleh. I grow many herbs, so i have plenty of flat leaf parsley and mint. I also like to used dried mint. Especially for Cackic

My families favourite mediterranean meal is a meze with Baba ganoush, Fried Haloumi, Spicy sausage cooked in red wine, Humus, Griddled aubergine and courgette,Tabbouleh and Falafel. Is this something you would do ? I make my own falafel, but buy Kubze flat bread from the local halal grocers. 
I also do roast chicken with lots of thyme, cumin and preserved lemons.Served with wholemeal couscous, carrots, cougettes and a spicy tomato sauce

I've had some good flat bread recipes from chef talk members, but i would love to know yours if you have one to share

kindest regards


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## bidiboom (Feb 3, 2010)

Hi Bughut,

I had things to do.. sorry for the delay.



> I've had some good flat bread recipes from chef talk members, but i would love to know yours if you have one to share


The recipe below helps to create a very delicious dough since it has a lot of milk and some oil: 
http://www.cheftalk.com/forum/thread/58768/leavened-dough-a-base-for-many-doughworks#post_298291

.. and the recipe below helps you to make a specialty prepared with this dough (in rolled and dry-fried, flat form) and a minced meat sauce.. even the kid of my friend who does not eat easily, loved and demanded more of it 
http://www.cheftalk.com/forum/thread/58769/yaglama-dough-layers-with-minced-meat-sauce#post_298295

.. and two lentil recipes.. the other day I have mentioned to write here :
http://www.cheftalk.com/forum/thread/58926/lentil-balls
http://www.cheftalk.com/forum/thread/58935/lentil-salad-with-caramelized-onion-rings

I hope you love them  if you have questions dont hesitate to ask.. see you


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