Persian Baklava Recipe; Make a Delicious Persian Dessert at Home!

Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry with layers of phyllo dough, nuts, and honey. It is of Turkish origin but is also popular in Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries. Baklava comes from the Turkic word “Bakla”, which means “bean.” Baklava is often served at weddings and other special occasions. Join Cooking County with the recipe for Persian Baklava.

How to Make Persian Baklava?

Ingredients

Inner Ingredients

• 250 grams chopped walnuts, pistachios and almonds
• ¼ cup of powdered sugar 
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon 
• 1 teaspoon of cardamom powder 

For Baklava syrup 

• 3/4 cups water and sugar each 
• 3⁄4 cup honey (you can use rose water instead of honey) 
• Rosewater as needed

Other ingredients

• 20 sheets phyllo (note that if it is frozen, make sure to leave it at room temperature for a few hours to warm it up)

How to Prepare Yufka/ Phyllo Dough? 

Yufka or phyllo dough is easily available in stores, but if you plan to prepare the dough yourself:

• white flour, salt and rose water as needed 
• 100 grams butter 
• Half a teaspoon baking powder 
• A glass of milk 
• 2 eggs yolks
• 3 tablespoons liquid oil

Directions

Step One

If you plan to prepare Baklava dough at home, dissolve baking powder and salt in milk and set aside. Mix the egg yolk and oil and add to the milk mixture and mix.

Step Two

To make the dough, sieve the flour into the mixture, mix and knead until the dough is ready. Put the dough in a plastic bag and rest for two hours. 

Step Three

Cut a dough for each layer, spread it on a flat surface with a rolling pin, and then put it in the mold. 

Step Four

To make the inner ingredients, try mixing all the components inside. If you don’t want the Baklava to be extra sweet, remove the powdered sugar.

Step Five

In the next step, turn on the oven at 180 degrees Celsius until it is thoroughly heated. Melt the butter in a suitable pan and set it aside. 

Step Six

Choose a suitable mold. A container like an oven tray that is rectangular and has a little depth, and is big enough to fit all the Baklava sheets in it. Using butter, grease the mold.

Step Seven

To put Baklava in a mold, first, make sure that the size of the dough is the same as the mold. If the dough is larger than the mold, place it on a flat surface and cut it. 

Note: Always have a clean cotton napkin with you because the Yufka dough dries quickly and ruins your work. When making Baklava, put the napkin on the rest of the dough you haven’t put in the mold yet.

Step Eight

Now take a layer of dough, put it on the bottom of the mold and grease it with butter. Then, put another layer of Yufka dough on the buttered layer and apply butter to the second layer. 

Step Nine

Put two more layers of dough in the same order as the previous layers to ensure they stay intact. Now you can pour some ingredients inside the Baklava and spread it. 

Step Ten

Put another 4 layers of dough and spread butter; add inside ingredients and four layers of dough again. Continue doing this in order until the ingredients are used up. 

Note: Put only dough and butter on the last seven layers.

Step Eleven

After finishing the dough and ingredients, cut the Baklava into squares. The critical point is to avoid pouring the nuts to the edges of the dough and just spread them a little. If a part of the dough breaks while working, you can put the separated piece on it and apply butter, so it sticks a little and stays in place. 

Step Twelve

Put the Baklavas in the oven for 45 minutes to cook. After about 20 to 25 minutes, move or rotate the mold in the oven to ensure all the parts are cooked. When the Baklavas turn golden, remove them from the oven and wait for the Baklava to cool down.

Step Thirteen

Now it’s time to make the syrup. Take a pan and pour sugar, honey, water, and rosewater into it. Stir on gentle heat until it heats up and reaches the boiling point. After 10 minutes, it boils and thickens (make sure it is not too thick). Pour hot syrup slowly on all parts of the Baklava. Start from the center and slowly pour it on the other parts.

How to Serve Persian Baklava? 

Your Persian Baklava is ready! Leave it at room temperature for a few hours until the syrup is completely absorbed and ready to eat. To serve, you can sprinkle pistachio powder on them and enjoy it with a cup of tea.

If you like the taste of Persian Baklava, do not forget to also read more about Persian Sweets.

FAQs about Persian Baklava

• Can I find Baklava in Iran?

Yes, in Iran, Baklava is cut and presented in smaller pieces and covered with a syrup made with rosewater, honey, and sugar.

• What is Persian Baklava made of?

It is made with Yufka dough, syrup, and different nuts.