Recipe for baklava – make baklava yourself

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 1 cup flour
• 1 packet of baking powder
• approx. 120 g Lokum - Turkish delight (e.g., vanilla flavor (available e.g. at Congar))
• 1 cup walnuts (grated)
• 1 package Baklavalik Yufka, 23 sheets, thin - filo pastry sheets (available e.g. at Congar)

Syrup

• 700 ml water
• 700 g sugar
• 1 packet vanilla sugar
• 1 package lemon zest (or freshly grated zest from an unwaxed lemon)

Preparation

1. First prepare the filling: beat 3 eggs, 1 cup sugar, oil, flour and the baking powder with a hand mixer until a dough-like mass forms.

2. Cut the Turkish delight into small pieces with a knife.

3. Grease the baking tray lightly with oil.

4. Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) top and bottom heat.

5. Now spread out the pastry sheets and, at the outer edge on the far left, spread a narrow strip of the filling from top to bottom (so the edges don't dry out).

6. Then sprinkle a few pieces of the Turkish delight and the walnuts on top.

7. Always roll 2 sheets together into a roll from left to right, very loosely.

8. Place the roll right at the edge of the baking tray.

9. Repeat this process with all the pastry sheets and cover the entire baking tray with them.

10. Cut the pastry rolls on the baking tray into bite-sized pieces.

11. Bake in the oven at 180°C (top and bottom heat) for approx. 30 to 45 minutes.

12. Then let cool well, preferably overnight.

13. For the syrup, bring the water to a boil, add the sugar and vanilla sugar, and stir so it dissolves.

14. Finally, add the lemon zest.

15. Pour the syrup while still hot over the entire baklava.

16. Cover with cling film and ideally let it sit overnight.

17. The next day, the baklava can be served.