Last Updated on June 12, 2022
Lebanese Baklava Rolls Recipe
Baklava, aka Baklawa is a Middle-Eastern dessert whose origins may go as far back as B.C times to the Assyrian civilization. Through the centuries, many neighboring countries adopted the delicacy and created their own versions. So, here is the Lebanese Baklava Rolls Recipe for you.
Baklava at AbdulRahman Hallab Sweets in Tripoli
Today there are dozens “Baklava” variations grouped in the Lebanese Cuisine under “Arabic Sweets“. In its basic form, Baklava is made of fillo dough, nuts, and sugar syrup and in this post, we’re going to feature a simple recipe of walnut Baklava “fingers.”
FAQs
What is the difference between BakLAVA and Baklawa?
BakLAVA is traditionally made from honey and spices, and it is rather sweet. Baklawa, on the other hand, is made using a simple syrup mixture scented with orange blossom and rose waters.
What is Lebanese baklava made of?
It consists of filo dough or puff pastry filled with sugary walnuts and topped with a rose water syrup. It is layered with clarified butter or ghee and rolled in clarified butter or ghee.
Easy to Make Lebanese Baklava Rolls – Baklawa
Ingredients
Baklava Rolls
- 1 pack filo dough thawed
- 1 cup walnuts coarsely ground
- 1/3 cup pistachio finely ground
- 1 teaspoon Orange Blossom water
- 1/3 lb butter unsalted, melted
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Baklava Simple Sugar Syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Orange Blossom Water
Instructions
Baklava Stuffing
- Mix the ground walnuts or your favorite nuts with 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of orange blossom water. Alternatively, you could use 1 teaspoon of regular Orange Blossom Water.
Making the Baklava Rolls
- Place one sheet of thawed filo dough on a cutting board then lightly brush it with melted butter. Place another sheet on top and repeate the process until you have 4 layers of filo dough.
- Distribute evenly 5 teaspoons of the Baklava Stuffing along one side of the filo dough.
- Roll tightly until the thickness of the roll is about 3/4th of an inch. Cut along the edge of the roll to separate it from the leftover filo dough stack, which could be used for another roll.
- Cut the roll into equal pieces, a couple of inches each then gently place in a buttered baking tray. Brush rolls one last time with a bit of melted butter.
- Bake in oven at 350F for about 30 minutes. The color of a perfectly cooked baklava dough should be light brown/golden, but not too dark as the taste can change.
Simple Sugar Syrup
- While the Baklava is baking, mix 1 cup of sugar with 3/4 cup of water, place in a pot on medium heat stirring occasionally.
- Once it starts to boil add the lemon juice then put heat on low and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Mix in the Orange Blossom Water at the end and let it rest and cool down.
Soaking and Finalizing the Balkava
- After the Baklava is baked and while it’s still hot, immediately pour a few tablespoons of simple sugar syrup all over the rolls and let the dough absorb it.
- Sprinkle a bit of pistachio on each piece for decoration and let rest for 45-60 minutes prior to serving at room temperature.
Notes
- You can substitute walnuts with pine nuts, pistachio, cashew or your favorite nuts
- In our case and since we like to avoid bleached products, we used brown sugar in preparing the syrup which yielded the dark brown color. However you can make it with white sugar which would yield a transparent syrup with a lighter flavor.
- Baklava can be stored at room temperature (in an air-tight container) for 2-3 weeks.