Baku-style baklava
Description
The recipe won't take much time. Probably, each of you has tried this delicious Eastern sweet at least once in your life. After trying it myself, I became eager to make it at home. From one of my friends, a resident of Azerbaijan, I learned this recipe for Baku-style baklava, and now I'm excited to share it with you. At first glance, it might seem incredibly complicated, but in reality, it's not. The main thing is to have patience. And if you've firmly decided to treat yourself and your loved ones to this delight, then now I'll tell you how. Serve it chilled.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
So, for the dough: warm the milk and add dry yeast, then mix in a tablespoon each of flour and sugar. To this mixture, add beaten egg, 100 grams of clarified butter, and gradually begin adding flour. We need to knead a rather firm, elastic dough. Then cover it with a cloth and let it sit for half an hour in a warm place. After that time, divide the dough into 2 parts (for 2 baking pans). Divide one part into 2 large balls and 10 small ones.
- 2
Step 2
Now for the filling: we chop the nuts and mix them with sugar, nutmeg, and cardamom. Next, take one of the large dough balls, roll it out into a thin sheet, and use it to line a baking dish greased with clarified butter, forming raised edges. Spread the filling (3-4 tablespoons) on top. Then roll out one of the small dough balls and place it over the filling.
- 3
Step 3
Then we add filling again, another layer of dough, and continue this way until all the small dough balls are used up. Finally, we roll out the second large ball of dough and cover all the previous layers with it, pressing the edges firmly. Now carefully cut the baklava into diamond shapes and decorate each diamond with a nut.
- 4
Step 4
Mix the saffron previously soaked in boiling water with egg yolks, and brush the surface of the baklava with this mixture. Do the same with the second half of our dough. Then place the pans in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 15 minutes.
- 5
Step 5
After 15 minutes, remove the baklava and pour one glass of melted butter over it, then return it to the oven for another 25–30 minutes.
- 6
Step 6
While the baklava is baking, we melt honey in a small saucepan. When the time is up, we take the baklava out and pour the honey over it, then put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes. When the baklava is ready, we remove it and wait for it to cool slightly. Now it's ready to eat. Enjoy your meal!