Important Information About Baklava

Important Information About Baklava

Baklava is an important dumpling in Turkish, Middle Eastern, Balkan and South Asian cuisines. It is made by placing walnuts, pistachios, almonds or hazelnuts, according to our cities, between the thin phyllo dough. It is generally sweetened with sugar syrup. However, it can also be preferred by using honey syrup.

Our dessert, which emerged with the phyllo culture of the Turks, took its current form in the Ottoman period, especially in the palace cuisine.
It is known that the famous traveler Evliya Çelebi mentioned 7 different baklavas in his Seyahatname. Karamani baklava, which is mentioned in the poems of Kaygusuz Abdal from Alanya, is a type of baklava that has been known since ancient times, with lentils and melted butter, honey sherbet and almonds poured over it. During the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, holy relics were opened to visitors in Topkapi Palace on the 15th day of Ramadan.
Baklavas prepared in the palace kitchen on the same day were presented to the Janissaries with a ceremony called "Baklava Regiment". Baklava, which has a special importance in Istanbul mansions, is famous for thinly opening and fitting one hundred phyllo dough onto a tray. According to rumors, if the gold coin is thrown on the tray, if it reaches the tray by piercing a hundred pastry sheets, the cook would take that gold as a tip. It is said that many successful cooks were trained in this way at that time.
After talking about the development of baklava, let's come to the points to be considered while making baklava, our tips...

Baklava Tips

Our most important ingredient is flour. Flour selection is indispensable for baklava. The flour you prefer when making baklava should be hard wheat flour. Our second important point is that the egg is at room temperature. The reason for this is that it will prevent the phyllo from tearing and add flavor to your baklava. Although we are making dessert, we will definitely need to add some salt because a dough without salt cannot gather itself.
Another important ingredient of our baklava is starch. Our starch, which is used in abundance, should be fresh and fine wheat starch. While the baklava meringues are being rolled out, plenty of starch is sprinkled in between, but when it will be rolled into dough, you should use starch according to the needs of your dough. We came to the syrup, which will soften the dough and leave a delicious taste on the palate; If the syrup crystallizes, all you need to understand is that it is not correct. If your baklava is to be made from a small amount of phyllo dough, you need to make a thick syrup. If you are making a 40-layer baklava from 20 phyllo dough, you should choose a sherbet of medium consistency. When making your baklava, you should prefer plain oil, not regular butter.
The process of cutting your baklava on the tray is also very important. It is cut in one direction and oil is poured on it, and after the poured oil freezes, the slicing process takes place. In this way, the slices are not spoiled. If, after pouring the syrup, the slices rise towards the air, it means that you have baklava.

Why Does Baklava Dough?

The biggest reason why the baklava is doughy is that the phyllo dough is not rolled thin enough. While preparing the sherbet for the baklava, the sugar we add to the pot is mixed until it melts, but after the sugar melts, the syrup is never touched. Otherwise, the sugar will be cut off and concentrated. While pouring the syrup on the tray, it is not poured directly. After a slice of baklava is cut, the syrup should not drip. Baklava with too much syrup becomes doughy.

How to Store Baklava?

After preparing the baklava, which requires a lot of effort, it must be stored correctly.
Since baklava is a dessert containing a lot of sugar, it is not correct to store it in the refrigerator. Baklava put in the refrigerator gets candied very quickly. Instead, you can store it in a dry and cool environment for 3 to 5 days. If baklava is stored in a sunny and humid environment, it will spoil in a very short time. You should carefully store this delicious dessert, which requires a lot of effort, and even consume it as soon as possible.
You know that baklava is an important dessert that requires a lot of practice. As a result of the information we have provided, each of you can quickly progress towards becoming a baklava master.

 

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