Famous Turkish Baklava 😍 Best Baklava Recipe | Easy and Homemade

It is baklava time! Baklava is the most famous Turkish dessert in the world and you all have been waiting for a long time for me to make it  I am going to show you the easiest and most delicious way to make homemade baklava and it will be as if you’re eating it in Gaziantep, where you can find the best baklava in the world. With the crunchiness it is going to amaze you, sweetness will comfort you and finally pistachios will definitely pick you up and take you somewhere above the clouds!

Servings: 12-16
Difficulty: Medium
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

For the syrup/şerbet
450 g sugar (2 cups + 2 tbsp)
340 ml water (1,5 cups)
Lemon

For the baklava
200 g butter
25 sheets of phyllo dough
200 g pistachio, roughly chopped

Ice cream, optional for serving

• Preheat the oven to 170 degrees (340F) on upper and lower heat without fan.
• Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat stirring until sugar dissolves. Make sure that the sugar melts completely before water starts to boil. Otherwise, sugar might be crystallized after syrup cools down.
• When it boils, lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10-11 minutes.
• The syrup is ready, add a few drops of lemon and set aside to cool at room temperature.
• To make the baklava, melt the butter on low heat in a saucepan without stirring to have clarified butter. After butter melted, remove from heat, and take out the foam that is formed on top of the butter. This is the milk part of the butter which will reduce the crunchiness of baklava and will get caramelized in the oven and leave small brown dots.
• Then slowly pour the clear butter in a small bowl and leave the milk part in the saucepan if there is any.
• Before starting it is better to sharpen your knife because you are going to need a sharp knife to cut the baklava.
• Place a phyllo sheet on your work surface and trim the phyllo according to your round tray’s bottom (around 30 cm/ 12 in). Cut the trimmed pieces into small pieces.
• Butter your tray and place three round shaped sheets and brush with the butter.
• After three round shaped layers place the scraps as three layers and butter again.
• Then continue with one round shaped sheet and 2 layers of scraps and butter.
• After using 10 of round shaped sheets, it is time for pistachio!
• Place the pistachios on top of the sheets and leave some space from the edges.
• Then continue layering the sheets with the same order. For the top part make sure that you are using more round shaped sheets to make baklava more beautiful (that is why we used more scraps than round ones for the bottom part).
• After all phyllo dough is finished tuck the layers with the back of a knife or a wooden knife.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the baklava into 12 slices like you are cutting pizza.
• After cutting, squeeze the slices from the sides with two fingers to give the perfect baklava shape.
• Brush all the remaining butter on top of the baklava, especially the edges and centre.
• Bake for about 25-30 minutes in total. First, place the baklava on the middle rack of your oven for 10 minutes. Then, transfer it to the bottom of the oven for 8 minutes. Finally, again the middle rack until it is golden.
• Take out from the oven and pour over the syrup.
• Let it cool down and soak all the syrup about one hour at room temperature.
• It is ready to eat and enjoy and try -at least- one slice with ice cream. Bon a petit or afiyet olsun as we say in Turkish.

To follow what is happening in our kitchen and cooking school;

[victoriamyers]

Hi Refika. Just had a really cool experience that I want to share with you. I am on holiday in the Seychelles with my husband and we met three other couples on the beach who we had lunch with today. The table included Turkish, French, German, Swiss, and American citizens. I mentioned to the Turkish lady how much I enjoy watching your shows on YouTube. She loves them as well and the German lady also watches your videos. Thought you would appreciate that your videos were being discussed and appreciated in such an international fashion. So nice that we all have you in common. Thanks for continuing to put out high quality content where your enthusiasm shines through. Looking forward to more great videos!

[debbybrady]

I was adopted into a Lebanese family. Thank God for that. I grew up eating Baklava, Rolled grape leaves, kibbi, tabouli, stuffed squash. ....my family/cousins still make all the favorite dishes. When other kids in my school brought peanut butter and jelly or balogna sandwiches to school, I brought kibbi and grape leaves! lol

[Tragoudosavros]

1st, Refika, I don't know anything of when you were thinner but today, you are far better looking than Jackie Kennedy was
2nd, "Serbet" is a genuinely Turkish word existing in the Greek language too meaning "Extremely sweet sirope" or "Extremely sweet substance"
3rd, "Fyllo" is a genuinely Greek word existing in the Turkish language too which in Greek means "Plant leaf" which is usualy thin in most of plants; that's why the thin layers of the fyllo are called like that and finally
4th but not least, I LOVE BAKLAVA!!!

THERE'S NO WAY TO THANK YOU REFIKA FOR SHARING THIS

[angelalewis]

I feel like we could be best friends, cooking, eating, and I love learning everything you have to teach!!

[e]

Important Tip: Phyllo dough has different thicknesses ranging from #4 (thinnest) to a #10 (thickest). Use #4 for baklava.

[IOANNA]

I feel like crying.In Greece we make baklava with walnuts or a mix with almonds but it can (Never!) be compared with pistachio baklava.I love everything pistachio and pistachio baklava is one of my all time favourite desserts.Thank you for this recipe Refika and your team.

[jeremywhite]

I love the way this lady presents the dish after her very eloquent cooking and explanation. She is so full of fun.

[lisaboban]

I love the recipes. I love Refika's presentation. I love the spirit of this team together! But what always amazes me is the production. Perfect pacing. Great transitions. Adorable jokes. But it never takes away from following the recipe. Nobody on YouTube does it better.

[jodrew]

OMG, my favorite dessert. New York has wonderful baklava but to have it in a place where the tradition began, it must be amazing. Also having it warm with ice cream looks unbelievable.

[MB-rkdb]

Tried this recipe and it turned out perfect. However because of my Iranian heritage I made two changes to give it a more Iranian flavor. 1) added a tablespoon of rose water in the simple syrup and 2) added a tablespoon of ground cardamom to the chopped pistachio. You recipes are great, you explain things well and you make it all fun. ❤

[amygains]

Refika, you are such a talented woman inspiring people around you in a good way. And that baklava looks very delicious 😋

[simonportelli]

My favourite part was watching you all enjoy eating Baklava at the end, you all looked so happy, i love Baklava....yum

[ramkitty]

Those pistachios look so amazing and fresh

[mikemcord]

Love it
Love it Love it..
This is my most favorite dish. THANKS FOR THE VIDEO

[jonorisin]

I just want to say that this is the best looking recipe and best done presentation that I've found on the internet. Thanks so much! Ready to start implementing your techniques next time!

[annacherry]

And I made brown butter! Taste unbelievable! Love warm still!

[noorhood]

Rafika my ten years old son says he loves the way you explain the recipes . We both love you and ohhh the dolma recipe looks so delicious! Can’t wait to make it . Please more recipes of stuffed veggies . Much love from Germany .

[jasmeent]

Thanks for the recipe❤. I am an Indian trying turkish recipes from your channel and feeding them to my Irish friends in Ireland who have no idea what these delicacies are but love everything I learned from your YT channel. I love the way you explain and your team tasting recipes or just talking during the shoot. Love all the recipes i made and also like the fact that you suggest alternatives which actually worked for me. Lots of love to you and your team.

[anahidkassabian]

That paklava video is gorgeous--really looking forward to the dry one. Bahar, your cinematography is always the best, really on point. As for Burak, I love baking of all kinds, bread and pastries, so I would love to see whatever he wants to make!

[annhopy]

Thank you my dear for putting this up. Many years ago I had befriended our little corner market owner, ( in a round about way, that's another story). His wife made baklava, hers was the first I had ever had, I fell in love with it. I have tasted some others through the years only to be disappointed, hers had spoiled me. I will have to make this one and your dry one to see which may come closest to hers. If I remember I think she used pecans. Anyway I can't wait to try this. Have a great day.