Cevizli Baklava (Turkish walnut baklava)

Crisp-layered phyllo pastry filled with spiced walnuts and soaked in sugar syrup

Origin: Ottoman Anatolia, Turkey

From the journey of Walnut.

Baklava is the defining pastry of the Ottoman culinary tradition: a preparation so technically demanding, so layered in cultural symbolism, and so widely distributed across the former Ottoman world that it could serve alone as a map of where the empire's kitchens once operated. In Turkey, Greece, the Balkans, the Levant, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, baklava appears in local form, and the choice of nut filling signals regional identity more precisely than almost any other ingredient decision. Pistachio baklava; saturated green and crystalline, made with unsalted Syrian or Iranian pistachios; is the prestige form of Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey, the city that regards its baklava as a protected geographical product. Walnut baklava; cevizli baklava; is the everyday form of the rest of Turkey, the Balkans, and Greece: earthier, darker, slightly more tannic, made with the walnuts that grow in every Anatolian valley. In the Ottoman imperial kitchen, both forms were produced by the palace pastry division (the helvahane) for the sultan's table and distributed to the Janissaries on the fifteenth day of Ramadan in the ceremony of the Baklava Procession; one of the great public rituals of the Ottoman court. The technique of walnut baklava is precise: the phyllo must be brushed generously with clarified butter between every layer (regular butter contains too much water and makes the layers steam rather than crisp), the walnut filling should be finely chopped but not powdered, and the syrup must be poured over the baklava the moment it comes from the oven; the contrast of cold syrup and hot pastry is what drives the syrup deep into every layer.

Ingredients

Pastry

  • 450 g phyllo (filo) pastry sheets, thawed if frozen
  • 200 g unsalted butter, clarified (ghee), see notes

Filling

  • 350 g walnut halves, very finely chopped (the texture of coarse breadcrumbs)
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar

Syrup

  • 400 g caster sugar
  • 240 ml cold water
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 strip lemon peel (no white pith)
  • 1 tbsp rose water or orange blossom water (optional)

Method

  1. Make the syrup first so it has time to cool completely before use. Combine the sugar, cold water, lemon juice, and lemon peel in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce to a steady simmer and cook without stirring for 10 minutes. Remove the peel, stir in the rose water if using, and pour into a jug. The syrup should be light; not thick or heavy. Cool completely in the refrigerator.
  2. Mix the finely chopped walnuts with the cinnamon, cloves, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Set aside.
  3. Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F). Lightly brush a 33×23cm (13×9 inch) baking tray with clarified butter. Trim the phyllo sheets to fit the tray if necessary. Keep the unused sheets covered with a barely damp cloth to prevent drying.
  4. Layer half the phyllo sheets (approximately 12 sheets) in the tray, brushing each sheet generously with clarified butter before adding the next. Spread the walnut filling evenly over the top layer of phyllo, pressing gently to compact it slightly.
  5. Layer the remaining phyllo sheets on top of the walnut filling, again brushing each sheet generously with butter. Brush the top layer well.
  6. Using a very sharp knife, score the baklava into diamonds or squares; cut all the way through to the base. A traditional diamond pattern is made by cutting parallel strips diagonally in two directions. Wipe the knife between cuts.
  7. Bake for 40–45 minutes until deeply golden and crisp across the entire surface. Remove from the oven.
  8. Immediately pour the completely cold syrup evenly over the hot baklava; pour slowly, allowing each area to absorb before adding more. You will hear the syrup sizzle as it hits the hot pastry. Let the baklava rest at room temperature for at least 4 hours, uncovered, before serving.

Notes

To clarify butter: melt the butter gently without stirring, let the foam rise, skim it off, and pour the clear golden liquid through a fine strainer, leaving the white milk solids at the bottom. Baklava keeps at room temperature, uncovered, for up to 5 days. Do not refrigerate; cold destroys the texture. Refrigeration is the single most common mistake made with baklava.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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