Baklava

Do you recall your childhood? Perhaps not every detail or mischievous moment, but for many of us born in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, it was a time of carefree innocence. Back then, we were born into a world where mothers drank aspirin for headaches, ate canned food, smoked, and worked until the last day of pregnancy without diabetes tests. We rode in cars without seat belts or airbags, and helmets were unnecessary for cycling or rollerblading. If you experienced this kind of upbringing, you belong to a generation that will never return. And yes, we indulged in sugar! Among the cherished treats of my childhood was BAKLAVA.

The search for the perfect baklava ends here because when you try it, you will realize that this baklava is it. In a word, perfect!

Ingredients:

- 500g of ready-made baklava crust

- 500g walnuts - half ground, half chopped (can be less)

- 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs (breadcrumbs)

- 100 ml of oil for coating the crust

- Another 125 ml of oil and 125 g of butter for coating the baklava

Sweet Sauce:

- 800 ml of water

- 800g of sugar

- Juice of half a lemon

Instructions:

1. First, make the sweet sauce (şerbet or agda) so that it cools down while the baklava is baking. Boil water and sugar for about 10 minutes. Towards the end, add the juice of half a lemon. Leave to cool while making the baklava because hot baklava meets cold sweet sauce.

2. Preparation of Baklava: Grease a 20x30 cm pan with oil. Cut the baklava crusts to fit the size of the pan (in this case, cut the crusts in half). Mix the walnuts and breadcrumbs.

3. Arrange 3 crusts in the pan and coat each one with oil (using a brush). Sprinkle the fourth crust with a mixture of walnuts and breadcrumbs (approximately 3-4 tablespoons) and coat the fifth crust with oil. Repeat this process until all the materials are used up. At the end, coat the top layer of 3 crusts only with oil as at the beginning. Set aside one additional crust.

4. Cut the baklava diagonally into diamonds. Heat 125 ml of oil and 125 g of butter together, then pour over the sliced baklava. Place the remaining single crust on top of the baklava to prevent burning.

5. Bake the baklava for 50 minutes in an oven preheated to 200°C. Bake at 200°C for the first 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180°C and bake for another 30 minutes. At the end of baking, increase the temperature again to 200°C and bake for another 10 minutes.

6. Remove from the oven, discard the slightly burnt top crust, and immediately pour over the cooled sweet sauce. Allow the baklava to absorb the sauce for about 10 minutes. Then, cover with another pan and let it stand for an additional 10 minutes to prevent the top crust from rising.

7. Let the baklava cool at room temperature, then transfer it to the refrigerator covered with aluminum foil. Baklava can stay in the fridge for a long time, although it tends to disappear quickly.

Enjoy this delightful baklava, a perfect blend of nostalgia and sweetness that brings back cherished memories with every bite.

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