Homemade Turkish Baklava Recipe

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Baklava is a traditional Turkish treat made of layers of filo pastry filled with chopped walnuts or pistachios and then soaked with simple syrup. My Homemade Turkish Baklava Recipe is perfect for you if you want to know how to make this authentic and delicious dessert from scratch. This recipe requires making baklava dough and rolling it out into filo sheets but the good news is that it is not as hard as you think and the result is totally worth it.

It is still traditional in Turkish culture today to make Baklava from scratch, especially during festive celebrations like weddings or religious events like Eid. Other than special occasions, people usually buy baklava from shops instead of making them at home. The use of ready-made filo pastries to make this traditional dessert is not very common in Turkey.

Turkish baklava with walnuts. — ***Baklava with walnuts***

How to Make Baklava?

I must warn you, don’t start making it if you are short of time. It does take time and patience to make these delicious sweets. If you want to treat your family on special occasions or celebrations like Christmas or Eid and if you have enough craving for good baklava, then this is the perfect homemade Turkish baklava recipe for you! To achieve the best results, follow step-by-step instructions and watch my video tutorial.

Prepare the dough – Place the eggs in a medium-sized bowl and then add the milk, vegetable oil, vinegar, yogurt, baking powder, and salt, stir until combined. Gradually add the flour to form a soft dough. The amount of the flour might vary depending on your location or the humidity of the room. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead it for few minutes until it doesn’t stick to your hands and it is elastic. Use the minimum amount of flour possible to keep the dough soft. Shape the dough into a ball and return it to the bowl. Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes. Prepare the syrup while resting the dough.

baklava dough to make filo pastry sheets.

Prepare the simple syrup – Place the water and sugar in a pan and put on medium heat. Stir it until the sugar dissolves, bring it to a boil, and let it gently boil for 15 minutes. Add few drops of lemon juice, let it simmer for few more minutes, and then remove the pan from heat. Let it cool down while making the filo pastries.

Roll out the filo pastries and build baklava – Divide the dough into 36 small balls (30 grams each) and group them into 3 of 12 balls. I would recommend using a Digital Kitchen Scale but you can do it by the eye if you prefer. Cover the balls with a clean cloth and let them rest for another 10 minutes before rolling them out.

dough balls for making filo pastry sheets.

Take two of the balls and dip them into the corn starch. Roll them to a size of a small plate, sprinkle generously with corn starch over them, and put them on one another. Roll them out together as thinly as possible to a size of 33 cm (Ø. Use more starch when needed to avoid them sticking. Place them on a13" x 2 " round tray. Trim the sides if needed and place the trimmings on top of the filo pastries.

Repeat the same until you finish the first group of the dough balls (12 balls will make 6 filo sheets in total). Sprinkle half of the crushed walnuts over the built-up layers of filo sheets, and spread them evenly. Start rolling the second group of dough balls and place them on top of the walnuts. You should have 6 more filo sheets made from 12 balls. Finish assembling the baklava by rolling your last group of dough balls into filo sheets and placing them on top of the crushed walnuts.

Bake the baklava and soak in syrup – Preheat your oven to 180 °C. Cut your baklava in diamond shapes or squares using a sharp knife. Make sure you cut all the way through to the bottom layer. You can adjust the size of the pieces to your liking but I usually get about 50 to 55 pieces out of a tray size of 33 cm (13″) Ø. Melt the butter in a saucepan, get rid of the milky bit on the bottom to clarify it, and add the vegetable oil. Pour the clarified butter and vegetable oil mixture evenly on top of the baklava. It might look like too much butter but it will all be absorbed by the filo pastries and it will turn them into golden crispy layers of deliciousness.

baklava cut in diamonds and ready to go into the oven.

Place the baklava tray into the hot oven (180° C fan oven) and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 160°C and bake it for another 45 minutes or until it is golden brown on top. Also, check if the bottom layers are cooked through.

Turkish baklava baked until golden and ready to be soaked in syrup.

Remove the baklava from the oven and slowly pour the cooled syrup over it when still hot. Again, it might look like the baklava is swimming in the syrup but it all will be absorbed by the filo pastries in less than an hour. Let the baklava soak in syrup overnight. It will taste better on the 2nd day and even better on the 3rd day.

Video Tutorial for Homemade Turkish Baklava Recipe

Tips for The Best Homemade Turkish Baklava Recipe

Make sure you knead the filo dough until it is soft and elastic.

Keep the dough balls covered to avoid them drying.

Use generous amount of starch while rolling out the pastries. Brush off any extra starch left at the end of rolling out.

Use thin rolling pin called oklava to make the rolling out the filo pastries much easier and quicker.

There’s no need to brush butter on every sheet as some recipes suggest. Just stack the filo sheets and walnuts per recipe, cut the baklava, and pour the clarified butter over the top. It might look like it is too much butter but it will soak in.

Cook the baklava on low heat slowly and thoroughly.

Make sure the baklava is hot and the syrup is cooled down to room temperature before soaking the baklava.

Let the baklava soak for at least 10 hours before serving.

How to store baklava?

You can store baklava at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. It should be stored in an airtight container to preserve freshness.

Where does baklava come from?

Baklava was invented in Turkey during the Ottoman Empire but today, many Meditteranean and Middle Eastern countries have their own versions of it. Some countries use honey, cinnamon, or almonds which are not traditional ingredients for Turkish baklava.

Is baklava healthy?

Baklava is full of nutrition if you make it at home (so that you know what goes in there) and is considered healthy as long as you eat it in moderation (like everything else). I wouldn’t suggest you eat lots of it if you are trying to lose weight.

Check my Spinach Borek (Ispanakli Borek), Hunkar Begendi (Sultan’s Delight), Aubergine Meatball Wraps (Islim Kebabi) and Ezogelin Soup for more Traditional Turkish recipes.

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I hope you enjoy the process of making this authentic Turkish baklava from scratch as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂

Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!