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Homemade Turkish baklava with walnuts cut into triangles in a round glass baking dish

Homemade Baklava

Crisp hand-rolled baklava with a walnut filling, melted butter and a cold lemony syrup, baked in a round glass dish and cut into 12 triangle slices.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Turkish
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 55 minutes
Servings 12 pieces

Ingredients

Syrup:

  • 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar 330 g
  • 2 cups water about 450 ml
  • 2-3 drops lemon juice

Dough:

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 270 g, plus extra as needed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup neutral oil 50 ml, such as sunflower
  • 1/2 cup milk 100 ml, scant
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 1/2 cups cornstarch 200 g, for dusting and rolling

Filling and Topping:

  • 1 3/4 cups walnuts 175 g, finely chopped
  • 7 tbsp unsalted butter 100 g, melted

Instructions

  1. Make the Syrup

    Stir the sugar and water in a pot until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a boil. Add the lemon juice, stir once and take the pot off the heat. Let it cool completely. The syrup must be cold when it meets the hot baklava.

  2. Make the Dough

    Whisk the flour, egg, oil, milk and salt in a bowl with a fork, then knead by hand until soft. If it sticks to your hands, add 1 tablespoon of flour. Cover with a clean cloth and rest 10–15 minutes.

  3. Divide the Dough

    Cut the rested dough into 20 equal pieces and roll each into a ball. Keep them covered.

  4. Roll the First Stack

    Dust your counter generously with cornstarch. Roll 10 pieces, one at a time, to about the size of a small plate, dusting with cornstarch each time. Stack the 10 sheets with cornstarch between them.

  5. Roll to Fit the Dish

    Roll the whole stack together, turning it, until it is as wide as your 12.5-inch round glass baking dish. Use the dish as a guide and trim the extra edge with a knife. Lift the 10 sheets into the dish one by one.

  6. Add the Walnuts

    Spread the chopped walnuts evenly over the sheets.

  7. Add the Top Layers

    Roll the remaining 10 pieces the same way and layer them over the walnuts.

  8. Cut

    Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C). Cut the baklava into 12 triangle slices before baking, cutting all the way through.

  9. Add the Butter

    Pour the melted butter evenly over the cut baklava.

  10. Bake

    Bake for about 50–60 minutes, until golden.

  11. Add the Syrup

    Pour the cold syrup slowly over the hot baklava right out of the oven. Let it cool and soak for several hours before serving.

Recipe Notes

  • Use cornstarch, not flour, to roll the sheets. It keeps them from sticking and gives crisp, flaky layers.
  • Cut before baking, and pour cold syrup over the hot baklava.
  • For pistachio baklava, swap the walnuts for the same weight of finely chopped pistachios.
  • Store loosely covered at room temperature for up to 4 days. Do not refrigerate.