Güllaç Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Güllaç is a light Turkish Ramadan dessert made with paper-thin wafers soaked in sweet milk, layered with walnuts, and topped with pomegranate. It takes 20 minutes of work with no baking.

Prep Time20

chilling time2

Total Time2 20

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Turkish

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings: portions

Calories: 253kcal

Author: Ayla Clulee

Ingredients

9 oz Güllaç leaves (around 10) (250 grams)
6 ⅓ cups full fat milk
2 cups sugar
⅔ cup chopped walnuts, pistachio or hazelnuts
½ cup pomegranate seeds

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the Milk

Place the milk and sugar in a medium-sized pan and bring it to a boil over medium heat.
Whisk occasionally, making sure the sugar dissolves and then take the pan off the heat.
Let it cool down to room temperature before starting to layer the sheets.

Layer the Güllaç

Trim a Güllaç sheet to fit your serving dish size of 35cm x 25 cm (14" x 10") and lay it on the bottom, shiny side up.
Pour a ladle of the milk mixture on top and wait until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Repeat the same with five sheets and then sprinkle on some nuts.
Put the other five sheets on top of the nuts, making sure you soak each of them with sweetened milk.
When you finish with the leaves, pour the rest of the milk on them.
Cover the dish and refrigerate it for a couple of hours before garnishing and serving.

Garnish and Serve

Remove the dish from the fridge and portion the Gullac. I usually have 15 portions out of this recipe but you can have smaller or bigger portions if you prefer.
Garnish your dessert just before serving as the white colour of Gullac might change when added pomegranate seeds or pistachio nuts.

Notes

Make sure to bring the milk to room temperature before adding it to the gullac leaves to avoid the dessert getting soggy!
Lay each sheet shiny side up and soak every sheet properly before the next one goes on. A dry patch stays chewy after chilling.
Gullac leaves are sold in Turkish shops and online, mostly around Ramadan. Grab a pack or two when you see them.
Use walnuts, pistachios, or hazelnuts between the layers, whichever you have.
Add a splash of food-grade rose water to the milk for the traditional flavor if you like it.
Garnish just before serving so the pomegranate does not stain the white top.
Chill the dish for a couple of hours before portioning.
Make ahead: build it in the morning and serve it in the evening. Hold the garnish back until serving.
Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freezing is not recommended.

Nutrition