As someone who grew up on a Middle Eastern household, well played sir. My best friend is Greek and his mom made the Greek version while my mom made the Turkish. The one difference we had at home was using Rose Water syrup vs a simple syrup. Also, cool it down, freeze some of them, chop it up and fold it into vanilla ice cream.
Omg im from greece and a couple of years ago a line of icecreams came up that had ice cream on top and traditional desserts on the bottom (like baklava and orange cake) it was a match made in heaven
I am impressed as a Turkish person. You didn't throw traditionals away while adding your style and also thank you for showing 2 version of baklava people are murdering themselves for Greek dish-Turkish dish debates.
I thought that was the distinction also so when I pointed that out to a turkish guy that you Turks make it with fistik and we Greeks make it with walnuts, he went "no we make it with walnuts too because fistik is too expensive to buy" Which come to think of it we've never made the turkish version because we also find the fistik to be too expensive...
I'm a Greek and I much prefer Turkish baklava. (I can't stand walnuts!) I ate it every day when I was inTurkey and buy it from the Turkish grocery when I'm too busy to make it.
@@katerinahikesalot1644 My grandmother is Greek and we make baklava all the time, but we both dislike walnuts. She has her own recipe where we use pecans instead and it is magnificent. I love all forms of baklava and love how it has multiple expressions over different cultures and people have their own recipes with everyone having their own blend of something amazing makes the dish always unique and delicious no matter where it's from.
Baklava is just the perfect desert to eat if you've had enough of modern, processed sweets and want a taste of the good old times... as in before any of our grandparents were even born. I don't even know how else to explain it but the sweet, savory and saltiness of this food just brought me back to a time I never even thought I could have access to. I feel the same way when I am eating Greek or Middle-Eastern lamb and goat dishes. It's just something else... something so different but at the same time familiar. I literally can't get enough of it.
I love that with everything else he's like 'if you don't make this dough yourself you're a COWARD and PAPA DOESNT LOVE YOU' but with this he's just straight up 'nah y'all can't get it thin enough. buy it, so you don't fuck it up'
@@grabble7605 And when Josh says that, it really, really is a lot of work. Given how strong honey/spices/nuts flavor baklava, even if you make it, the flavor/texture difference wouldn't be notable.
When my doctor advised me to adopt a " Mediterranean diet " I don't think this was what he meant. That being said I'm making it this weekend.,for dessert to my braised oxtails in tomato, juice I'll eat sardines and olives until then.
Very accurate video! One tip for anyone following the recipe though - for proper syruping grandmas always teach to have hot on cold. Either your baklava should be cold and your syrup - hot, or the other way around. This way it gets absorbed into the pastry leaves better. Plus, it's better if you wait 24 h for it to soak up.
I followed the recipe, excess sweetness, I had to drink water right after. Sure, argue by saying that's how baklava is supposed to be. How come baklava imported from Turkey isn't very sweet and you can consume as many without feeling thirsty? What is their secret?
Ayyyy! Joshua made the *good good* ! Great to see some Middle Eastern representation! There is actually a crazy simple shortcut where you don't butter between each layer. Instead you place a stack of sheets with no butter, add the pistachios in the middle, then add another stack of filo on top. Cut it, pour in the butter and bake. Start to finish in 20 minutes of active time!
@@SmthAbout.Money.SmellsLikeLove actually it is a professional technique and exactly how Baklava shops in Turkey do it, that's where I got it from. Karakoy gullugolo and Hafiz Mustafa both use the technique and there are numerous videos of this on RUclips!
I made the pistachio version for my wife's birthday. It was a huge hit - absolutely delicious. Pouring the syrup over the hot baklava was an unexpected delight. That was pretty cool. Highly recommended.
@@Br020XX What he said bud more specifically pistachio ice cream good quality one. It will completely elevate the dish and add that nice contrast of something cold with something warm.
Excellent video! A small decoration tip for the Greek version: Place before baking a whole clove in the middle of each square, it is beautiful, adds more aroma and keeps the sheets in place. When I was a child, I was always rewarded with that task if I let my mother finish the recipe in peace... :D
My grandma always made this, I loved eating these! As soon as I was 'old enough' to understand how to help, we made them for Christmas. One of my favorite cooking memories with her.
@@isissorrowchongdongproduct6361 I was I think 11 or 12. But I grew up learning from her how to bake, canning, sewing and crochet. All kinds of things really.
As a Turkish, this is the best recipe I've ever seen made by a westerner. But I have to say, I'd like you to roll the dough with oklava (which is a thin rolling pin)
As a Turkish subscriber I'm so happy to see that a Turkish dish finally gets the credit it deserves. On top of that this credit is given by you Josh so thank you so much. And not only I'm happy tp see the Turkish version, also seeing the Greek version is great too. Keep doing what you're doing. Wish you the best.
@@sliceofcheese3890 Baklava originates from Gaziantep which is a Kurdish city and it is recipized in Topkapı Palace so yeah Ottoman Turks have invented it.
You don't understand how happy I am to see this video. Absolutely love baklava over here in the UK. I have a Turkish bakery near me that make it fresh daily. Absolutely love it
As a Greek making baklava all my life and in different shapes and versions, Josh was spot on, on both the Greek and the Turkish versions. Mind you, pistachios are extremely expensive. My only constructive feedback would be that the spice mix actually is ground cinnamon and ground clove. The spice mix Josh made was actually used for our Christmas cookies called melomakarona. AWESOME job at making your own fillo. With the children around our feet there is no way we would make fillo from scratch. Kisses from a Greek mum
As a Greek person, i don't often get to eat baklava, but i always feel like the luckiest person when i do. i also really appreciate that you took the time and effort to make both the greek and the turkish version lmao. either way you make it, this dessert is just exceptional, there's no denying it.
@@ΕΛΛΗΝΑΣΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΡΑΣShe just said "Greek version of baklava", didn't refer to the origins. I'm also a Turk but I find it too immature to write "they stole it from us!!" on every corner when a Greek version of any Turkish food is mentioned.
I helped a Persian doctor with a course he was working on and on the last day of meetings he invited us all over for Persian food that he and his wife made. The pistachio Baklava was divine! That experience opened the door to middle eastern foods for me and I have yet to be disappointed. Great job!
When combining the pastry with the syrup one of them must be hot and the other one cold normally. Either make the syrup beforehand, let it cool and pour over the baklava as soon as it comes out the oven, or let the baklava cool and then make the syrup. This allows the fylo to soak up more syrup which will make it less crunchy but its the way to go if you wanna make it traditional as far as i know.
@@yasseenmoussalli9581 indeed! the key is to bake baklava thoroughly with a lot of clarified butter (you can get rid of the excess once the baking is done) and to have a syrup that is thick enough (one sugar one water ratio to my knowledge). if you stick to these rules you can use hot baklava and hot syrup and still not get a mushy dough at the end.
More like room temperature not cold. You're right it's better to make the syrup before you start on the baklava cause if you make it while the baklava is in the oven it won't have time to cool down
@@oa2256 I'm sorry but you don't know what you're talking about, you don't even understand the problem, it doesn't get mushy, it's quite the opposite, hot syrup on a hot pastry makes it caramelize and it becomes too though
Looks great. I prefer mine not quite so wet on the lower layers. To prevent “sog” I don’t precut quite all the way to the bottom before baking and pouring syrup. After the tray has cooled I cut the rest of the way. I also usually brush butter over every other layer of pastry. And I add a bit of lemon zest to the walnut/sugar/cinnamon mixture. So many variations, and all delicious.
This recipe is by far one of the best renditions of baklava I’ve seen on the internet. It’s also refreshing that the comments are simply admiring both versions rather than arguing which ones superior or disputing he origins of this tasty dessert. It just highlights that Joshua has cultivated a really mature audience that appreciates the diversity of foods and versions from the particular region!!!
I am from Gaziantep (the place where the best pistacios come from and is famous for baklava) and i totally approve to this. i thought it was beautiful how you showed the greek version too. You know we shouldn't argue about which one is better, both versions - and the arabic version also- are great in there own way. Good job joshua and greetings to all my Turkish, Greek and Arabic fellas ✌✌
@@ANSELAbitsxb it's not the ordinary pistiochio which you put in it. it should be gaziantep pistachio. the greenest and the most aromatic one in the world
As a Turkish person, this was one of the most accurate recipes that I’ve seen by far, but you can also use the honey syrup for the pistachio ones because it is more closer to the original. I also recommend to try pistachio baklava with ice cream.
@Captain L-Ron authenticity isn't the point here. If everything kept authentic, there wouldn't have baklava. We'd just straight up eat sugar. But by the time food develops and that's not a bad thing. The important thing here is how you like it. If you like it, it's authentic.
As an Arab who basically eats Baklava everyday, this actually made me kinsa happy. It is not 100% authentic but very darn close I admire how he kept the essence of Baklava. Thank you!
@FK Susan Wojicki and her Censorship With this kind of argument, no dish would ever be authentic because it used to exist in a different way some centuries ago. It's like saying Italian isn't authentic bc it used to be Latin, u know?
@FK Susan Wojicki and her Censorship How can you say it is Roman. Really! Search the Origin please... Even the European Union has registered the Baklava as a Turkish Dessert! We Turks have been making it since 1700's
@FK Susan Wojicki and her Censorship does not matter what you say Greek Puppet. No matter what you say. Even your European Counsil has recognized and Registered Baklava as Turkish. The case is closed lol
@FK Susan Wojicki and her Censorship I’m Lebanese but I’m not trying to say that baklava is arab but if you say that it originated from Rome so it isn’t originally arab and the modern version is Turkish than you are basically saying that nothing is authentic since a lot of dishes originated somewhere else but were adapted by that culture over many years like how baklava became adapted by arab culture since the ottoman has conquered a lot of countries in the Middle East for a long time. Not trying to start arguments just saying you can’t say it isn’t a dish from that country just because it originated somewhere else over many centuries ago
Growing up a classmate’s family were from Greece. His grandma’s baklava was so amazing. Her honey glaze with butter was so crisp & sweet; never meet it’s equal.
I love that you are recreating this . As a Greek I felt that your recipe is top notch. Baklava is truly one of the most beloved desserts here in Greece .
@@asmodeus5_7 so who cares ? She mentioned the Greek version from the video and that overall this dessert is really appreciated and loved in Greece as in many other countries. There’s no reason to start the “ it’s Turkish “ “no it’s Greek” type of arguments…..Every country can add their twist to any dish and make their version out of the original !
There are two versions of the same dessert and I was specifically referring to the greek one . My intention was not to start an argument. I am just really happy that he decided to make this amazing dessert and I hope someday everybody has the chance to try this delicious dessert, either the greek or the turkish version. Hope I explained myself.
@@arasa8896 so sorry, my bad, I am Argentinean, as I saw it was a tipycal dish in turkish, syrian, iranian cuisine I assumed it was mainly arabic, sry!
@@arasa8896 it is Levantine, it is Syrian, Lebanese mostly and got spread from there around the Ottoman Empire. People in south eastern turkey spoke Arabic not 100 years ago. And they where there mostly Christian.
Baklava originated in the Ottoman empire, all countries that used to be under the Ottoman empire have their own version of this recipe. There are dozens of different types of baklava per country and 10-20 countries that make it so yeah. Baklava is culturally important as a turkey on Thanksgiving. Greetings from Bosnia!
It existed long before, earliest descriptions being in the 8th century B.C. by Assyria when they were a nation. You guys have a short memory on history.
@@egesoyer3962 Same way we learn of history--stone carvings, translations, historians. And did you see I wrote 8th century B.C.? The 8th century BC started the first day of 800 BC and ended the last day of 701 BC. We know about Egyptians during this time period as well, in context with Nubian dynasties.
My friends are Turkish and they used to freeze them with ice cream, man that shit was BUSSIN. Since my family live in Eritrea and I have no one here in Sweden I spend the holidays with them sometimes and whenever I do best believe I am stocking up my freezer with baklava vanilla ice cream.
I'm Cypriot so I mix both recipes for the ultimate flavor. Sometimes I go with the Greek filling (you forgot a splash of cinnamon btw) and top with pistachio's, and sometimes I do it the exact opposite and top it with ground walnut, cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey with the pistachio filling. No matter which way you do it I'm sure it'll taste delicious lol..
Some people here in Bulgaria prepare it with walnuts or even cheaper peanuts as pistachios are crazy expensive! I heard from an Iranian that back in the day, when nuts were not so available, they even prepared it with bean filling (similar to Japanese pastries).
My half syrian half lebanese grand mother would make B’learwa two ways, a syrup of rose water or a syrup of orange blossom and sometimes the syrup would be honey instead of sugar. always one batch with walnuts and one batch with pistachios. This brings back so many memories, i need to make some and bring them to her.
B’learwa is the Lebanese version that uses atter syrup (a simple syrup with rose and orange blossom water). The Lebanese cook book I use recommends a mix of pistachios, almonds, walnuts
Reminds me of the Egyptian version that my family makes. It’s called golash (جلاش). We use the most simple of simple syrups though. I’m pretty sure it’s just sugar and water for us, lol. As for the filling, we also use an assortment of nuts.
Weirdly enough, the recipe I have from my grandmother uses the honey syrup from the Greek one, but pistachio nuts like the Turkish. Would highly recommend, it's a great combo.
The differences between the two are mostly due to ingredient availability and preference. The concept of purely 'authentic' recipes is a modern first world one born of year around global ingredient availability. Use what nuts you have, with what kind of syrup and spices you have, add layers of dough/butter. Done.
speaking as a Greek, they are both equally amazing. The only things I change are: a) I add the honey after letting the syrup boil - it preserves the aroma of the honey better, b) I let the syrup cool down at room temperature before pouring over hot baklava
He also did one mistake of baking it too quickly . Baklava is supposed to be baked in low temperature for hours . So every layer becomes golden . All pastries should be baked until golden , if they are still white they lack the nutty flavor , and if they become too dark they become bitter
Pretty accurate! I’m Macedonian and this is very similar to what my grandmother usually makes for us. Now, there are some minor inaccuracies, but you have to realize there are different variations of baklava in different Balkan cultures. My grandmother makes a Greek one typically with Macedonian elements, and it’s usually not fully traditional because let’s be honest traditional does not equal good. Definitely the best recipe from a westerner I’ve seen.
As a Bulgarian, I would say this recipie is pretty accurate, although you would normally put more nuts inbetween the layers. AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THINK IS- always put boiling syrup on cooled down baklava or cooled down syruo on top of baklava straight out of the oven! You are wolcome :)
@@evjl no cooling. just pour boiling hot syrup on freshly baked baklava, then wait for it to cool on the baklava. This will make sure that syrup goes all the way inside baklava.
I’m Turkish, i will be judging, update coming soon. We Turkish people are very serious about our food. - in the Turkish traditional version we actually use starch in order to prevent sticking and we roll our dough in circles (the shape of the baklava changes regionally and we do include other nuts, according to different provinces. But pistachio is usually the go to) - once we have made around small 5 circles of dough, we stack the circles and very generously dust between layers with starch - then we roll all the dough together until (as Joshua said) - you can see your fingers through the dough - other than that, this was a job well done and greatly modified for foreigners, i would say dont even bother with the dough and go for some Turkish “Yufka” if you can find some nice traditional baklava yufka its just as good.
I followed your recipe, excess sweetness, I had to drink water right after. Sure, argue by saying that's how baklava is supposed to be. How come baklava imported from Turkey isn't very sweet and you can consume as many without feeling thirsty? What is their secret?
Couple pro tips from someone who's made greek baklava several dozen times. You wanna do 5 filo-1/3 nuts-2 filo - 1/3 nuts - 2 filo- last 1/3 nuts - the rest of the filo. Helps it to keep from falling apart at the first bite. Also- Texans - USE PECANS in place of walnuts. Just as excellent.
Traditional filo making is an elite craft though. Thats top level pastry making skills. Josh's was pretty thick compared to the old school handmade stuff.
Should have a series where the crew behind the camera watches Joshua’s video and try to recreate the dish (without Joshua present) because whatever they create would most likely be like what the home cooks who are watching will turn out like. 😂
Thank you for taking the extra time to show us how to actually MAKE phyllo, since most of us live in countries that don't just carry it (or most shortcuts often shown in western recipes) in our local supermarkets (for instance, in Japan - where "bread" still usually means the stuff in the "sandwhich loaf aisle" of a U.S. supermarket - shokupan be damned, just barely more pillowy 'Murica-bread). Again, thank you for not being lazy like many of the other RUclips celebrity cooks who just assumed that anyone watching can buy phyllo on a grocery run, without having to take a 400 dollar train-ride to and from Tokyo to get to some specialty "ethnic" grocer the size of a watch repair shop, just hoping they have it in stock, then paying the "air-shipped" price, or getting something that didn't fair too well on the sea-route...
Although my grandmother is turkish, the greek version is the one she made while i was growing up. it’s so good and now i can’t wait to make it myself :)
Hey, Bulgarian here :) we make the walnut verson (which is Ottoman empire recipe, so all of us that were under the Ottoman occupation have as much claim on it as the Greeks). There is a simple rule with the Ottoman sweets if you have the sugary syrup - Hot syrup goes on cooled dessert ot cooled syrup goes on hot dessert. Withe baklava cold syrup goes on hot baklava. Also it's faster to do the filo dough with a long and thin rolling pin - u need to roll out only one big dough sheet. Great video as usual!!
As someone from the middle east I’m very proud of Joshua for displaying middle eastern food! I would love for him to try doing Mamouls from scratch with the indentations and everything!
This brings back sweet memories of childhood! My Greek mom making baklava, while honey bees buzzed angrily outside the kitchen window. (And she ground up the nuts with a tiny manual grinder. No automated assistance. She was amazing. I miss you, Mom.)
Thanks for this introductory video to make "home made" baklavas. It definitely seems like a lot of work and research. As a Greek Turk who have lived in both countries, I can say, the Greek version is pretty accurate. Greek recognize baklava more as a homemade dessert with all its imperfections and amateur fashion. Like yours. But in Turkey, the situation is different. Country is filled with speciality shops that's been making baklava since decades, sometimes over a century. The way they perfected that extremely thin crust, the use of fragrant, oily pistachios from one specific city Gaziantep, ghee sourced from the butter produced in local dairies, and variety of techniques in making carries this thing to another dimension. To me, they both look like a Greek baklava with different fillings and spices. But difference is more than that. Since the concept of authenticity is all about reflecting what's commonly accepted by the locals, let me add that this does not reflect the authentic Turkish baklava that would move Turkish people in the hearth. Easy, but not authentic.
I am Greek and haven‘t made one single baklava in my whole life. I should be ashamed of myself. Thank you, Joshua, for giving me that little push I needed
Hello Joshua i am from Singapore i am coming 40 this month on the 29. First of all thank u so much for sharing with us your delicious baklava recipe the way u made and prepare the baklava is very comprehensive 👍👍👍👍 unlike SOME people they upload videos of them baking or cooking but they don't want to really tell or show the right recipe
if you haven’t had the opportunity to have baklava, definitely use this recipe or support smaller businesses that sell it! but i swear by it, it’s something you have to try once.
The Orthodox church down the hill has an annual festival where all the grandma's make sheet trays of baklava, spanikopita, dolmas, you get the idea. I got two trays a week and a half ago. There is one 'row' in one tray left It's addictive
My baklava is in the oven as I write this. I'm allergic to walnuts so I used pecans in the filling and also some almonds and hazelnuts. Toasted all the nuts first to help with flavor. I also used cinnamon graham crackers to help bulk out the filling. I bought my phyllo dough. 1 box is 16oz and that's just about perfect. It's pre-cut so no screwing around. My layering goes 8-5-5-5-5-8 so it'll be thicker by 3 sheets on the top and bottom. My syrup is simple as hell too. 1 cup water, 1 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 8 oz of good honey, very little cinnamon, & just a pinch of lemon and orange zest (not necessary though). Put it together like the video says and you'll thank me later!! Merry Christmas!! 2024 is almost over!!! Can't wait!!!
My grandmother was the baklava master of the family. Never gave her recipe, saying if you measure anything you are not worthy of making it, because it is all about feel.
i’ve always wanted to make this dish at home but have always been intimidated by the dough despite making plenty of puff pastries at home. you made it look so fun and something so achievable, definitely trying these this weekend!!
I have a coworker who always makes it for Eid. It's amazing. It's just to the point where you think you can't handle the sweetness, but it doesn't get gross, if you just eat a reasonable amount.
Half of the people in the comment section here think that taking shot at his recipes, that they are "super tough" or "unbelievably complicated/expensive" is funny even after 100s of them.
i know you just made a joke but this recipe is literally: 1: put pastry and butter 14 times, 2: put nuts 3: repeat step one 4: bake and prepare a syrup 5: pour the syrup over it Done.
I agree, everyone should be making this. I have a tip to speed things up though. They make spray cans with butter in them... and olive oil if you prefer. You don't even need to guard against the pastry drying out.
My family is Greek and this was awesome to watch. I always make Baklava with my mom and we actually do a mix of almonds and pistachios because she and I are both allergic to walnuts lol. Anyways, your spice mix and ours is pretty much the same and we also add some lemon peel to our syrup. Its amazing :) I am so happy to have seen this on your channel! Love you lots PAPA :D
As a Turkish guy, I need to mention that there is a better way of eating Baklava. You are supposed to turn it upside down so that the syrup will go to the drier top part (to taste the syrup on both sides equally), and I am not sure about this part, but the sugary bottom part will activate more taste buds.
I'm Greek and I need to declare that I don't really care who created the dish, I am just interested in eating it! As someone else already commented, I prefer the pistachio version but it's more expensive and quite difficult to find here in Brasil where I live. But... I just returned from a trip to Argentina with 5 kg of pistachio, so I'm making this NOW!!!!
Latest trend in Turkey was to douse the cooked layers with a chilled milk based syrup and add cacao powder on top. Makes it lighter (despite the fact that you’re adding calories)
My mom’s Lebanese baklava is not overly sweet (uses rose water syrup) and very light. I prefer it much more than the drenched sugar versions of Turkey and Greece. I’ve been to Turkey and their baklava is SO sweet… straight up diabetus. Nice to see some middle eastern dishes on here!
I'm Algerian, we make baklawa (that's how it's called here) on every major holiday and weddings, and since we make the dough from scratch I always found it to be overwhelming to make, it's close to the Turkish kind except we use almonds mainly, and it's not just one layer, we have a thick bottom layer, then almonds, a few thin layers of alternate almonds and filo, then maybe 5 layers of final filo, the syrup we do use honey diluted with rose water and lemon juice and again it's 😭😌
This is my first time ever watching one of your videos, and I am so entertained and inspired. Thank you 🙏🏽😆!! Dope video! Very well put together! Every aspect!
I made this once and it turned so incredibly sweet you couldn't eat more than two little pieces, my teeth were in literal pain but my soul was in heaven 😬
This is something that has no business being store made. I've only ever had it from a local Greek restaurant and when made properly it's pretty great and I'm no fan of walnuts
@@isissorrowchongdongproduct6361 Food ok lol The Dessert is Food lol learn English please! The European Counsil has registered the Baklava as Turkish Dessert.
I do 6 layers, then nuts, two layers, then nuts - repeat until you run out of either filo or nuts (end with another 6-8 layers). I add the cinnamon, sugar and cloves to mostly pistachios because I don’t like a lot of walnut. For the syrup I use sugar, water, rose water. Not fond of honey but the rosewater really lifts it. Absolute heaven with a cup of good black coffee.
My family is from Armenia. One of my best memories from my childhood is going to our family reunion and eating Baklava and Armenian Bread. I’m pretty sure the Armenian version is the same as the Turkish version, I always remember it being made with pistachios.
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As someone who grew up on a Middle Eastern household, well played sir. My best friend is Greek and his mom made the Greek version while my mom made the Turkish. The one difference we had at home was using Rose Water syrup vs a simple syrup.
Also, cool it down, freeze some of them, chop it up and fold it into vanilla ice cream.
Omg im from greece and a couple of years ago a line of icecreams came up that had ice cream on top and traditional desserts on the bottom (like baklava and orange cake) it was a match made in heaven
Baklava ice cream is so next level. My Greek aunts used to make it all the time.
Lebanese baklava eclipse all
Vanilla ice cream and baklava, the holy combination
Seems like it's time for a Shokugeki chef
I am impressed as a Turkish person. You didn't throw traditionals away while adding your style and also thank you for showing 2 version of baklava people are murdering themselves for Greek dish-Turkish dish debates.
I thought that was the distinction also so when I pointed that out to a turkish guy that you Turks make it with fistik and we Greeks make it with walnuts, he went "no we make it with walnuts too because fistik is too expensive to buy" Which come to think of it we've never made the turkish version because we also find the fistik to be too expensive...
I'm a Greek and I much prefer Turkish baklava. (I can't stand walnuts!) I ate it every day when I was inTurkey and buy it from the Turkish grocery when I'm too busy to make it.
@@katerinahikesalot1644 My grandmother is Greek and we make baklava all the time, but we both dislike walnuts. She has her own recipe where we use pecans instead and it is magnificent. I love all forms of baklava and love how it has multiple expressions over different cultures and people have their own recipes with everyone having their own blend of something amazing makes the dish always unique and delicious no matter where it's from.
As a Greek man I'm glad he made both the Turkish version and the Greek version we stole lmao
I personaly dont think someone stole something at one point greek was part of Ottoman empire so it is probably about multi national culture.
Baklava is just the perfect desert to eat if you've had enough of modern, processed sweets and want a taste of the good old times... as in before any of our grandparents were even born. I don't even know how else to explain it but the sweet, savory and saltiness of this food just brought me back to a time I never even thought I could have access to. I feel the same way when I am eating Greek or Middle-Eastern lamb and goat dishes. It's just something else... something so different but at the same time familiar. I literally can't get enough of it.
I mean it is buttery crunch with sugar, it is timeless.
I love that with everything else he's like 'if you don't make this dough yourself you're a COWARD and PAPA DOESNT LOVE YOU' but with this he's just straight up 'nah y'all can't get it thin enough. buy it, so you don't fuck it up'
I don't think it's 'You can't' so much as 'It's entirely too much of a pain in the ass'.
@@grabble7605 yeah fair, lol
@@grabble7605 And when Josh says that, it really, really is a lot of work. Given how strong honey/spices/nuts flavor baklava, even if you make it, the flavor/texture difference wouldn't be notable.
Also he didn’t even use his own dough. He used store bought and didn’t mention it because his ego is too fragile.
When Mary Berry says it's too much trouble to make on your own, you get a pass.
When my doctor advised me to adopt a " Mediterranean diet " I don't think this was what he meant. That being said I'm making it this weekend.,for dessert to my braised oxtails in tomato, juice I'll eat sardines and olives until then.
mediterranean is not necessarily healthy its just 10x "healthier" then most shit what people eat nowadays
U tried? Was it worth it 👀
I approve 😂
@@035gogmofo6 it s not healthy technically Mediterranean diet can be eating Cevapi and sausages with kajmak( like butter but different)
And of course have some baklava for desert
Very accurate video! One tip for anyone following the recipe though - for proper syruping grandmas always teach to have hot on cold. Either your baklava should be cold and your syrup - hot, or the other way around. This way it gets absorbed into the pastry leaves better. Plus, it's better if you wait 24 h for it to soak up.
"Always". . . hmmm? Careful with your superlatives. The gramma I know did hot on hot.
@@ifyouloveChristyouwillobeyhim Ikr, way to make a hyperbole out of reality.
I followed the recipe, excess sweetness, I had to drink water right after. Sure, argue by saying that's how baklava is supposed to be. How come baklava imported from Turkey isn't very sweet and you can consume as many without feeling thirsty? What is their secret?
@@ClarkIsraeli add less syrup i guess
@@ClarkIsraeliRose water + Less sugar
Ayyyy! Joshua made the *good good* ! Great to see some Middle Eastern representation!
There is actually a crazy simple shortcut where you don't butter between each layer. Instead you place a stack of sheets with no butter, add the pistachios in the middle, then add another stack of filo on top. Cut it, pour in the butter and bake. Start to finish in 20 minutes of active time!
Good to see you on here Obi! Would be great to see some kind of collaboration 👍
Honestly I personaly wouldn’t do that as a Turk if it was good that way professionals would have been making it that way
@@SmthAbout.Money.SmellsLikeLove Yeah, because it's not like professionals ever over-complicate things or non-professionals ever make anything good...
@@SmthAbout.Money.SmellsLikeLove actually it is a professional technique and exactly how Baklava shops in Turkey do it, that's where I got it from. Karakoy gullugolo and Hafiz Mustafa both use the technique and there are numerous videos of this on RUclips!
@@kazmanscoop thanks, still waiting on Josh's shawarma video!
I made the pistachio version for my wife's birthday. It was a huge hit - absolutely delicious. Pouring the syrup over the hot baklava was an unexpected delight. That was pretty cool. Highly recommended.
cool ! just a tip , you should try adding a scoop of ice cream with that
for a more traditional and a more tasty dessert :)
@@Br020XX That's a great idea - can't believe I didn't think of it. I tried milk, then I tried wine. But ice cream, I think, would be perfect.
@@Br020XX What he said bud more specifically pistachio ice cream good quality one. It will completely elevate the dish and add that nice contrast of something cold with something warm.
@@davidmalone9022warm milk. Trust me.
I thg should wait until cool first, after that pour the syrup. But, can do any other way bcoz we make it our own way, no problem. Im sory turkish😅
Excellent video!
A small decoration tip for the Greek version: Place before baking a whole clove in the middle of each square, it is beautiful, adds more aroma and keeps the sheets in place.
When I was a child, I was always rewarded with that task if I let my mother finish the recipe in peace... :D
Awe
My grandma always made this, I loved eating these! As soon as I was 'old enough' to understand how to help, we made them for Christmas. One of my favorite cooking memories with her.
ruclips.net/video/qEf-fXCFr-Y/видео.html
What age was “old enough”
@@isissorrowchongdongproduct6361 I was I think 11 or 12. But I grew up learning from her how to bake, canning, sewing and crochet. All kinds of things really.
That's so sweet. Great memories.
As a Turkish, this is the best recipe I've ever seen made by a westerner. But I have to say, I'd like you to roll the dough with oklava (which is a thin rolling pin)
My mom smashed all our ''oklava'' by smashing them in our backs
As a albanian i have to agree
I agree but I should mention that traditionally, there is no brown sugar in the syrup and the color of it is much lighter for that reason
Is there a difference in texture if he does?
@@cdandrade92 it would have a more delicate dough basically.
As a Turkish subscriber I'm so happy to see that a Turkish dish finally gets the credit it deserves. On top of that this credit is given by you Josh so thank you so much. And not only I'm happy tp see the Turkish version, also seeing the Greek version is great too. Keep doing what you're doing. Wish you the best.
arabs got cornered this time
This is an Arab dish not even turkish
you somehow snuck Turkish nationalism into a compliment. Do they teach that to kids at school in Turkey?
@@ukleth no it's not go and check the origin. Many countries just took it and made it their way but it is invented by Turks.
@@sliceofcheese3890 Baklava originates from Gaziantep which is a Kurdish city and it is recipized in Topkapı Palace so yeah Ottoman Turks have invented it.
You don't understand how happy I am to see this video. Absolutely love baklava over here in the UK. I have a Turkish bakery near me that make it fresh daily. Absolutely love it
ruclips.net/video/qEf-fXCFr-Y/видео.html
As a Greek making baklava all my life and in different shapes and versions, Josh was spot on, on both the Greek and the Turkish versions. Mind you, pistachios are extremely expensive. My only constructive feedback would be that the spice mix actually is ground cinnamon and ground clove. The spice mix Josh made was actually used for our Christmas cookies called melomakarona. AWESOME job at making your own fillo. With the children around our feet there is no way we would make fillo from scratch. Kisses from a Greek mum
I mean pistachios are hella expensive in turkey too so we eat baklava with walnuts over here usually.
Melomakarona is one of my all-time favorite desserts. Going to buy some from Poseidon (NYC) next week.
@@jjk109 My favourite too, can’t wait to make them this Christmas!
@@jjk109 its too good.
Omg Yes! Cannot wait for Christmas! These cookies disappear so fast!
As a Greek person, i don't often get to eat baklava, but i always feel like the luckiest person when i do. i also really appreciate that you took the time and effort to make both the greek and the turkish version lmao. either way you make it, this dessert is just exceptional, there's no denying it.
I from Turkey - Izmir and I wonder greek baklava.
@@tamert13 There's no such thing as "greek baklava" baklava is from turkey.
@@ΕΛΛΗΝΑΣΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΡΑΣGreek baklava use walnuts and turkish baklava use pistachios
@@hasinabegum1038 There is no such thing as "greek baklava" baklava is turkish.I'm hellenic proper myself and i already agree.
@@ΕΛΛΗΝΑΣΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΡΑΣShe just said "Greek version of baklava", didn't refer to the origins. I'm also a Turk but I find it too immature to write "they stole it from us!!" on every corner when a Greek version of any Turkish food is mentioned.
I helped a Persian doctor with a course he was working on and on the last day of meetings he invited us all over for Persian food that he and his wife made. The pistachio Baklava was divine! That experience opened the door to middle eastern foods for me and I have yet to be disappointed. Great job!
When combining the pastry with the syrup one of them must be hot and the other one cold normally. Either make the syrup beforehand, let it cool and pour over the baklava as soon as it comes out the oven, or let the baklava cool and then make the syrup. This allows the fylo to soak up more syrup which will make it less crunchy but its the way to go if you wanna make it traditional as far as i know.
I second this as a Greek man. My family typically let's the pastry cool and waits until it's completely cool to make the syrup and pour that on hot.
Maybe that's the greek way. The turkish/arab way is to pour hot syrup on hot baklava
@@yasseenmoussalli9581 indeed! the key is to bake baklava thoroughly with a lot of clarified butter (you can get rid of the excess once the baking is done) and to have a syrup that is thick enough (one sugar one water ratio to my knowledge). if you stick to these rules you can use hot baklava and hot syrup and still not get a mushy dough at the end.
More like room temperature not cold. You're right it's better to make the syrup before you start on the baklava cause if you make it while the baklava is in the oven it won't have time to cool down
@@oa2256 I'm sorry but you don't know what you're talking about, you don't even understand the problem, it doesn't get mushy, it's quite the opposite, hot syrup on a hot pastry makes it caramelize and it becomes too though
I have a made both types of baklava and in the end I decided to mix both pistachios and walnuts plus Raisins and almonds
It is really good
Looks great. I prefer mine not quite so wet on the lower layers. To prevent “sog” I don’t precut quite all the way to the bottom before baking and pouring syrup. After the tray has cooled I cut the rest of the way.
I also usually brush butter over every other layer of pastry. And I add a bit of lemon zest to the walnut/sugar/cinnamon mixture.
So many variations, and all delicious.
This recipe is by far one of the best renditions of baklava I’ve seen on the internet. It’s also refreshing that the comments are simply admiring both versions rather than arguing which ones superior or disputing he origins of this tasty dessert. It just highlights that Joshua has cultivated a really mature audience that appreciates the diversity of foods and versions from the particular region!!!
Deep
Myeah I think you're giving him _a lil'_ bit too much credit.
I am from Gaziantep (the place where the best pistacios come from and is famous for baklava) and i totally approve to this.
i thought it was beautiful how you showed the greek version too. You know we shouldn't argue about which one is better, both versions - and the arabic version also- are great in there own way.
Good job joshua and greetings to all my Turkish, Greek and Arabic fellas ✌✌
pistachios taste of cat vommit regardless of where they come from.
@@ANSELAbitsxb 😂
@@ANSELAbitsxb I have never tasted cat vomid but i love pistachio.
everyone knows that once you eat baklava in gaziantep-turkey. You don't consider baklava the other versions
@@ANSELAbitsxb it's not the ordinary pistiochio which you put in it. it should be gaziantep pistachio. the greenest and the most aromatic one in the world
As a Turkish person, this was one of the most accurate recipes that I’ve seen by far, but you can also use the honey syrup for the pistachio ones because it is more closer to the original. I also recommend to try pistachio baklava with ice cream.
That sounds amazing paired with ice cream.
Would it more or less authentic to use a dash of Rose Water in the syrup?
@Captain L-Ron authenticity isn't the point here. If everything kept authentic, there wouldn't have baklava. We'd just straight up eat sugar. But by the time food develops and that's not a bad thing. The important thing here is how you like it. If you like it, it's authentic.
@@captainl-ron4068 nope, no rose water. The only aroma you wanna taste there is pistachio.
@@ahmetrefikeryilmaz4432 awesome. I had some once in the UK that had a Rosey aroma, but I think the proprietor of the little cafe was Lebanese.
As an Arab who basically eats Baklava everyday, this actually made me kinsa happy. It is not 100% authentic but very darn close I admire how he kept the essence of Baklava. Thank you!
@FK Susan Wojicki and her Censorship With this kind of argument, no dish would ever be authentic because it used to exist in a different way some centuries ago. It's like saying Italian isn't authentic bc it used to be Latin, u know?
@FK Susan Wojicki and her Censorship How can you say it is Roman. Really! Search the Origin please... Even the European Union has registered the Baklava as a Turkish Dessert! We Turks have been making it since 1700's
@FK Susan Wojicki and her Censorship does not matter what you say Greek Puppet. No matter what you say. Even your European Counsil has recognized and Registered Baklava as Turkish. The case is closed lol
@FK Susan Wojicki and her Censorship man the truth is hard to be accepted
@FK Susan Wojicki and her Censorship I’m Lebanese but I’m not trying to say that baklava is arab but if you say that it originated from Rome so it isn’t originally arab and the modern version is Turkish than you are basically saying that nothing is authentic since a lot of dishes originated somewhere else but were adapted by that culture over many years like how baklava became adapted by arab culture since the ottoman has conquered a lot of countries in the Middle East for a long time. Not trying to start arguments just saying you can’t say it isn’t a dish from that country just because it originated somewhere else over many centuries ago
Growing up a classmate’s family were from Greece. His grandma’s baklava was so amazing. Her honey glaze with butter was so crisp & sweet; never meet it’s equal.
Exactly how I feel about my grandmothers Syrian baklava, hard to beat recipes that have been around so long
I love that you are recreating this . As a Greek I felt that your recipe is top notch. Baklava is truly one of the most beloved desserts here in Greece .
ruclips.net/video/qEf-fXCFr-Y/видео.html
Baklava is god of desserts neighbour
But Baklava is a Turkish dessert
@@asmodeus5_7 so who cares ? She mentioned the Greek version from the video and that overall this dessert is really appreciated and loved in Greece as in many other countries. There’s no reason to start the “ it’s Turkish “ “no it’s Greek” type of arguments…..Every country can add their twist to any dish and make their version out of the original !
There are two versions of the same dessert and I was specifically referring to the greek one . My intention was not to start an argument. I am just really happy that he decided to make this amazing dessert and I hope someday everybody has the chance to try this delicious dessert, either the greek or the turkish version. Hope I explained myself.
I would love to see you making "Kanafeh", another traditional "middle eastern" dessert that has cheese as its primary ingredient, great vid joshua!
baklava is not an arabic dessert**
@@arasa8896 so sorry, my bad, I am Argentinean, as I saw it was a tipycal dish in turkish, syrian, iranian cuisine I assumed it was mainly arabic, sry!
@@arasa8896 it is Levantine, it is Syrian, Lebanese mostly and got spread from there around the Ottoman Empire.
People in south eastern turkey spoke Arabic not 100 years ago. And they where there mostly Christian.
D F kanafeh is levantine too i think
@@HoraDeJugarJueguitos syrians are mostly arabs iranians are mostly persian and turks are mostly turks actually:)
Syrian here, we make baklava pretty similarly to the Turkish style. This was shockingly accurate, and i was smiling ear to ear from start to finish!
As far as I know you make it very dry with little syrup unlike the syrupy turkish version right?
@@ozgundemirr It's not as soft, but same sweetness.
Baklava originated in the Ottoman empire, all countries that used to be under the Ottoman empire have their own version of this recipe. There are dozens of different types of baklava per country and 10-20 countries that make it so yeah. Baklava is culturally important as a turkey on Thanksgiving.
Greetings from Bosnia!
Ma ono što drugi ne znaju je da su Baklavu izmislili naučnici u Visokom...
In the Assyrian empire 800 bc *
It existed long before, earliest descriptions being in the 8th century B.C. by Assyria when they were a nation. You guys have a short memory on history.
@@nairinocea9693 I have a question, how could you know that an empire that existed 2030 years ago BEFORE the birth of christ, made baklava?
@@egesoyer3962 Same way we learn of history--stone carvings, translations, historians. And did you see I wrote 8th century B.C.? The 8th century BC started the first day of 800 BC and ended the last day of 701 BC. We know about Egyptians during this time period as well, in context with Nubian dynasties.
My friends are Turkish and they used to freeze them with ice cream, man that shit was BUSSIN. Since my family live in Eritrea and I have no one here in Sweden I spend the holidays with them sometimes and whenever I do best believe I am stocking up my freezer with baklava vanilla ice cream.
I'm Cypriot so I mix both recipes for the ultimate flavor. Sometimes I go with the Greek filling (you forgot a splash of cinnamon btw) and top with pistachio's, and sometimes I do it the exact opposite and top it with ground walnut, cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey with the pistachio filling. No matter which way you do it I'm sure it'll taste delicious lol..
He added cinnamon at 5:26
@@kaleburns9347 Thanks
Some people here in Bulgaria prepare it with walnuts or even cheaper peanuts as pistachios are crazy expensive! I heard from an Iranian that back in the day, when nuts were not so available, they even prepared it with bean filling (similar to Japanese pastries).
Interesting
Interesting! Thanks for sharing :)
That is very interesting!
I am glad comrades!
Yeah, we make it with walnuts, always have
Just woke up from a post-leg day nap, got a notification from papa. Life is good
How was leg day
@@dandabrowski6535 probably hell
ruclips.net/video/qEf-fXCFr-Y/видео.html
@@anklesturnt2dust691 can confirm it was hell
@@dandabrowski6535 not great, I’m a back day kinda guy so all leg day sucks
My half syrian half lebanese grand mother would make B’learwa two ways, a syrup of rose water or a syrup of orange blossom and sometimes the syrup would be honey instead of sugar. always one batch with walnuts and one batch with pistachios. This brings back so many memories, i need to make some and bring them to her.
B’learwa is the Lebanese version that uses atter syrup (a simple syrup with rose and orange blossom water). The Lebanese cook book I use recommends a mix of pistachios, almonds, walnuts
Reminds me of the Egyptian version that my family makes. It’s called golash (جلاش). We use the most simple of simple syrups though. I’m pretty sure it’s just sugar and water for us, lol. As for the filling, we also use an assortment of nuts.
As a fellow Lebanese person, I approve of this comment. 🇱🇧 The rose and orange blossom water/syrup really makes it *chefs kiss*
@@Sonicgirl05 i’m turkish so i’ve never got to try the lebanese version but man that sounds so good🤤🤤🤤
As usual, Lebanese takes on most Mediterranean food is the best take.
That sounds awesome.
Weirdly enough, the recipe I have from my grandmother uses the honey syrup from the Greek one, but pistachio nuts like the Turkish. Would highly recommend, it's a great combo.
that’s how i’ve always done it too because i’m allergic to walnuts but grew up with the greek version!
our turk has them in many mixed variations... honey walnut, sugar pistaccio, rosewater anything... and in ramadan: hazelnut nutella.
You can freestyle pretty well woth baklava, use different nuts or even mixing them and or even different sugars
@@TeylaDex oof, hazelnut nutella sounds absolutely divine
The differences between the two are mostly due to ingredient availability and preference. The concept of purely 'authentic' recipes is a modern first world one born of year around global ingredient availability. Use what nuts you have, with what kind of syrup and spices you have, add layers of dough/butter. Done.
Can we talk about Kendrick’s face when Josh broke apart the baklava!!!
This needs more attention... that face was IT.
when I say I hollered… 💀💀💀
Reminds me back at the But Better with Hot Pockets episode where he went euphoric over the crunch and flakiness.
That is a man in the know.
speaking as a Greek, they are both equally amazing. The only things I change are: a) I add the honey after letting the syrup boil - it preserves the aroma of the honey better, b) I let the syrup cool down at room temperature before pouring over hot baklava
That’s how I learned it. Make your syrup and allow it to cool (room temp) and that gets poured over the hot baklava.
He also did one mistake of baking it too quickly . Baklava is supposed to be baked in low temperature for hours . So every layer becomes golden . All pastries should be baked until golden , if they are still white they lack the nutty flavor , and if they become too dark they become bitter
@@johncena7290 fully agree!
Pretty accurate! I’m Macedonian and this is very similar to what my grandmother usually makes for us. Now, there are some minor inaccuracies, but you have to realize there are different variations of baklava in different Balkan cultures. My grandmother makes a Greek one typically with Macedonian elements, and it’s usually not fully traditional because let’s be honest traditional does not equal good. Definitely the best recipe from a westerner I’ve seen.
As a Bulgarian, I would say this recipie is pretty accurate, although you would normally put more nuts inbetween the layers. AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THINK IS- always put boiling syrup on cooled down baklava or cooled down syruo on top of baklava straight out of the oven! You are wolcome :)
I found a Bulgarian, yay
Syrup is the budget, margarine is just a crime. Real super and butter is key.
baklava of Turks?
which one results in a crispier baklava? Boiling syrup on cool baklava or Cooled Syrup on oven-hot baklava?
@@evjl no cooling. just pour boiling hot syrup on freshly baked baklava, then wait for it to cool on the baklava. This will make sure that syrup goes all the way inside baklava.
I’m Turkish, i will be judging, update coming soon. We Turkish people are very serious about our food.
- in the Turkish traditional version we actually use starch in order to prevent sticking and we roll our dough in circles (the shape of the baklava changes regionally and we do include other nuts, according to different provinces. But pistachio is usually the go to)
- once we have made around small 5 circles of dough, we stack the circles and very generously dust between layers with starch
- then we roll all the dough together until (as Joshua said) - you can see your fingers through the dough
- other than that, this was a job well done and greatly modified for foreigners, i would say dont even bother with the dough and go for some Turkish “Yufka” if you can find some nice traditional baklava yufka its just as good.
Try talking to an Italian about food. :D
I followed your recipe, excess sweetness, I had to drink water right after. Sure, argue by saying that's how baklava is supposed to be. How come baklava imported from Turkey isn't very sweet and you can consume as many without feeling thirsty? What is their secret?
Couple pro tips from someone who's made greek baklava several dozen times. You wanna do 5 filo-1/3 nuts-2 filo - 1/3 nuts - 2 filo- last 1/3 nuts - the rest of the filo. Helps it to keep from falling apart at the first bite. Also- Texans - USE PECANS in place of walnuts. Just as excellent.
When it comes to pastry, I think making your own filo is more of a flex than making your own puff. Using the pasta machine is a rad cheat though.
Traditional filo making is an elite craft though. Thats top level pastry making skills. Josh's was pretty thick compared to the old school handmade stuff.
@@spwicks1980 I can't quite grasp the physics of the old-school stuff. I mean how the hell that can be that thin and still intact?
@@ahmetrefikeryilmaz4432 All i can think of is the development of gluten is holding it all together. Its pretty strong stuff in the food world.
@@spwicks1980 yea but its still a stretch, pun very much intended.
Where's your cooking channel then ? 🤔
Should have a series where the crew behind the camera watches Joshua’s video and try to recreate the dish (without Joshua present) because whatever they create would most likely be like what the home cooks who are watching will turn out like. 😂
Yes! Great test of how well the information is communicated!
Tbh, it’ll probably be a bit better since they’ll have all the fancy equipment and the expensive, clean, convenient kitchen
Good idea. I'll offer my studio. They will have to make everything on a hot plate with a tiny camera.
Yes! That would be the REAL "B" roll. lol
Thank you for taking the extra time to show us how to actually MAKE phyllo, since most of us live in countries that don't just carry it (or most shortcuts often shown in western recipes) in our local supermarkets (for instance, in Japan - where "bread" still usually means the stuff in the "sandwhich loaf aisle" of a U.S. supermarket - shokupan be damned, just barely more pillowy 'Murica-bread).
Again, thank you for not being lazy like many of the other RUclips celebrity cooks who just assumed that anyone watching can buy phyllo on a grocery run, without having to take a 400 dollar train-ride to and from Tokyo to get to some specialty "ethnic" grocer the size of a watch repair shop, just hoping they have it in stock, then paying the "air-shipped" price, or getting something that didn't fair too well on the sea-route...
Josh I'm half Greek and know a few classic recipes. You pretty much nailed it. The thin flakey layers is the most important part imo and you got it!
Although my grandmother is turkish, the greek version is the one she made while i was growing up. it’s so good and now i can’t wait to make it myself :)
Hey, Bulgarian here :) we make the walnut verson (which is Ottoman empire recipe, so all of us that were under the Ottoman occupation have as much claim on it as the Greeks). There is a simple rule with the Ottoman sweets if you have the sugary syrup - Hot syrup goes on cooled dessert ot cooled syrup goes on hot dessert. Withe baklava cold syrup goes on hot baklava. Also it's faster to do the filo dough with a long and thin rolling pin - u need to roll out only one big dough sheet. Great video as usual!!
true :) i can confirm as a turkish.
As someone from the middle east I’m very proud of Joshua for displaying middle eastern food! I would love for him to try doing Mamouls from scratch with the indentations and everything!
Represent your country dude
This brings back sweet memories of childhood! My Greek mom making baklava, while honey bees buzzed angrily outside the kitchen window. (And she ground up the nuts with a tiny manual grinder. No automated assistance. She was amazing. I miss you, Mom.)
Turkish baklava and Turkish delight from the grand bazaar...best ever.
the best baklava sound is actually the sizzle it makes when you pour the cold syrup over the hot baklava
never thought you could make phyllo like that. "opening" it the traditional way is a serious skill to have in greece
Thanks for this introductory video to make "home made" baklavas. It definitely seems like a lot of work and research. As a Greek Turk who have lived in both countries, I can say, the Greek version is pretty accurate. Greek recognize baklava more as a homemade dessert with all its imperfections and amateur fashion. Like yours. But in Turkey, the situation is different. Country is filled with speciality shops that's been making baklava since decades, sometimes over a century. The way they perfected that extremely thin crust, the use of fragrant, oily pistachios from one specific city Gaziantep, ghee sourced from the butter produced in local dairies, and variety of techniques in making carries this thing to another dimension. To me, they both look like a Greek baklava with different fillings and spices. But difference is more than that. Since the concept of authenticity is all about reflecting what's commonly accepted by the locals, let me add that this does not reflect the authentic Turkish baklava that would move Turkish people in the hearth. Easy, but not authentic.
I was already impressed by his asian recipes, but now I'm convinced he can make anything. His food looks soo good
I am Greek and haven‘t made one single baklava in my whole life. I should be ashamed of myself. Thank you, Joshua, for giving me that little push I needed
Same but im turkish 😅
@@alicexmes 😂
Making your own dough is the biggest improvement that I have seen so far amongst the recipes made by a non-Turk. Congratulations!
I'm Lebanese and our family always used walnuts in ours, great recipes as per usual Papa
i love seeing people sharing recipes of foods from turkish culture
As a Middle Eastern i think this is the best recipe of baclava I’ve seen it looks delicious
You should make Galaktoboureko next. Its similar to the Baklava but it has a thick custard instead of nuts.
Yes! Recommend to blend the custard to get the smooth consistency. My yiayia has made it several times and it is my favourite dessert
That sounds incredible
This is my absolute favourite dessert, followed by Portokalopita😍😍
omg yes
7:06 You can't tell me that this didn't give you ultimate goosebumps! GOOD LORD, that crunch!
i listened with headphones xD probably had the same face as he did
The dudes face was priceless
Hello Joshua i am from Singapore i am coming 40 this month on the 29. First of all thank u so much for sharing with us your delicious baklava recipe the way u made and prepare the baklava is very comprehensive 👍👍👍👍 unlike SOME people they upload videos of them baking or cooking but they don't want to really tell or show the right recipe
if you haven’t had the opportunity to have baklava, definitely use this recipe or support smaller businesses that sell it! but i swear by it, it’s something you have to try once.
I love how I just realized that I grew up on a mix of both styles. Every bigger holiday cannot go by without baklava ☺️
my friend is turkish and her grandmother makes the best baklava ive ever had! excited to make it.
The Orthodox church down the hill has an annual festival where all the grandma's make sheet trays of baklava, spanikopita, dolmas, you get the idea.
I got two trays a week and a half ago.
There is one 'row' in one tray left
It's addictive
Dude, I grew up with my grandma making this during holidays and I gotta say. You absolutely slayed it!
My baklava is in the oven as I write this. I'm allergic to walnuts so I used pecans in the filling and also some almonds and hazelnuts. Toasted all the nuts first to help with flavor. I also used cinnamon graham crackers to help bulk out the filling. I bought my phyllo dough. 1 box is 16oz and that's just about perfect. It's pre-cut so no screwing around. My layering goes 8-5-5-5-5-8 so it'll be thicker by 3 sheets on the top and bottom. My syrup is simple as hell too. 1 cup water, 1 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 8 oz of good honey, very little cinnamon, & just a pinch of lemon and orange zest (not necessary though). Put it together like the video says and you'll thank me later!! Merry Christmas!! 2024 is almost over!!! Can't wait!!!
My grandmother was the baklava master of the family. Never gave her recipe, saying if you measure anything you are not worthy of making it, because it is all about feel.
Your grandmother was Uncle Roger. Awesome. Confusing.
@@grabble7605 hahaha exactly, and I totally got that "screw your 42 grams, I'm going in with a handful" mentality from her ❤️ RIP baba ❤️
@@a_l_e_k_sandra Grams are only for coffee and cake.
@@a_l_e_k_sandra same here, my grandmother always made great Menemen, manti, baklava etc. but she never measured, also RIP Babanne
i’ve always wanted to make this dish at home but have always been intimidated by the dough despite making plenty of puff pastries at home. you made it look so fun and something so achievable, definitely trying these this weekend!!
I have a coworker who always makes it for Eid. It's amazing. It's just to the point where you think you can't handle the sweetness, but it doesn't get gross, if you just eat a reasonable amount.
Combine with black coffee. It’s truly a match made in Heaven.
I am legit learning how to cook from Josh’s videos and it’s awesome 😁
ruclips.net/video/qEf-fXCFr-Y/видео.html
Joshua does his best to convince people that the process ain't complicated. And then the process is more complicated than the plot of Tenet.
Tenet is simple as fuck, tho.
Might be the complexity problem is you?
Half of the people in the comment section here think that taking shot at his recipes, that they are "super tough" or "unbelievably complicated/expensive" is funny even after 100s of them.
@@Arrynek01 its far from simple tbh, i guess some of it makes sense tho.
I don't know Tenet, but I agree nonetheless hahaha
i know you just made a joke but this recipe is literally:
1: put pastry and butter 14 times,
2: put nuts
3: repeat step one
4: bake and prepare a syrup
5: pour the syrup over it
Done.
love the personality, the music, the passion, and cinematography. Im in the industry and been trying to find some inspiration. This hit the spot.
Baklava is life 👍🏾
It has all the elements of a pastry that hits you in all the right ways 🤤
I'm not from the middle east but there's this Greek fest once a year that we go too, and it has baklava at it. ITS SOOO GOOD.
they stole from Turkey. Its turkish dessert :)
@@DarkStyle74 baklava is much much older than turkish history, no hate turks perfected it but its def. not originally turkish
I agree, everyone should be making this. I have a tip to speed things up though. They make spray cans with butter in them... and olive oil if you prefer. You don't even need to guard against the pastry drying out.
My mom always loved buying this and it's basically one of her favorite desserts!
My family is Greek and this was awesome to watch. I always make Baklava with my mom and we actually do a mix of almonds and pistachios because she and I are both allergic to walnuts lol. Anyways, your spice mix and ours is pretty much the same and we also add some lemon peel to our syrup. Its amazing :) I am so happy to have seen this on your channel! Love you lots PAPA :D
Then I'd suggest you guys should try it with hazelnuts. It is just as amazing, if not better than the walnut version.
As the Genie from Aladdin said, you can't go wrong with *a little more BAKLAVAAAA*
The world just isn't the same without Robin Williams' humor
DEFINITELY making a few batches of this for the holidays!
As a Turkish guy, I need to mention that there is a better way of eating Baklava. You are supposed to turn it upside down so that the syrup will go to the drier top part (to taste the syrup on both sides equally), and I am not sure about this part, but the sugary bottom part will activate more taste buds.
'Baklavayı nasil yiycin biliy misin ağn' video popped up in my brain lmao
@@sevval_ksy When he was eating it, I was thinking about the same video lol
My husband likes cooking stores as much as I do and it melts my heart that other people love them too
Dear Chef Joshua...I kinda secretly love you deep in my heart, but I'd never admit to it. Please never ever ever go away.
Whenever I visited sitto and jiddo back in the day they always gave us baklava or kaak when we went back home. Good memories.
This is perfect timing. My mother loves baklava and because the holidays are coming up, it would be nice to make some for her
I had this as an entree at a Mediterranean restaurant in St Louis, and it was low key the best thing I’ve ever tasted
My boyfriend is Turkish and his birthday is coming. Thank you so much for the video 😀
Marriage proposal is loading...
Now this is one FRESH upload
I'm Greek and I need to declare that I don't really care who created the dish, I am just interested in eating it! As someone else already commented, I prefer the pistachio version but it's more expensive and quite difficult to find here in Brasil where I live. But... I just returned from a trip to Argentina with 5 kg of pistachio, so I'm making this NOW!!!!
Latest trend in Turkey was to douse the cooked layers with a chilled milk based syrup and add cacao powder on top. Makes it lighter (despite the fact that you’re adding calories)
I can feel my blood sugar rising
I’ve tried this version and it’s honestly good but I prefer the traditional one
My mom’s Lebanese baklava is not overly sweet (uses rose water syrup) and very light. I prefer it much more than the drenched sugar versions of Turkey and Greece. I’ve been to Turkey and their baklava is SO sweet… straight up diabetus. Nice to see some middle eastern dishes on here!
I picked up spiced honey for baklava at our Greek festival.. so delicious.. coming in handy with a cold.. anti bacterial honey.. off to make this!
i’m in school and i’ve been wanting baklava, this video couldn’t have come at a better/worse time
ruclips.net/video/qEf-fXCFr-Y/видео.html
Me too
I'm Algerian, we make baklawa (that's how it's called here) on every major holiday and weddings, and since we make the dough from scratch I always found it to be overwhelming to make, it's close to the Turkish kind except we use almonds mainly, and it's not just one layer, we have a thick bottom layer, then almonds, a few thin layers of alternate almonds and filo, then maybe 5 layers of final filo, the syrup we do use honey diluted with rose water and lemon juice and again it's 😭😌
This is my first time ever watching one of your videos, and I am so entertained and inspired. Thank you 🙏🏽😆!!
Dope video! Very well put together! Every aspect!
I made this once and it turned so incredibly sweet you couldn't eat more than two little pieces, my teeth were in literal pain but my soul was in heaven 😬
I've never seen anyone eat more than one piece
@@radhiadeedou8286 all that effort to only eat one piece?! 🥺
I've only ever had store bought and it was the grossest taste. Just oily, syrupy nastiness. This is tempting me
ruclips.net/video/qEf-fXCFr-Y/видео.html
This is something that has no business being store made. I've only ever had it from a local Greek restaurant and when made properly it's pretty great and I'm no fan of walnuts
Please its not a Greek Dessert!
@@the-matrix-has-you It is of glorious SHQIP food
/s
@@isissorrowchongdongproduct6361 Food ok lol The Dessert is Food lol learn English please! The European Counsil has registered the Baklava as Turkish Dessert.
I do 6 layers, then nuts, two layers, then nuts - repeat until you run out of either filo or nuts (end with another 6-8 layers). I add the cinnamon, sugar and cloves to mostly pistachios because I don’t like a lot of walnut. For the syrup I use sugar, water, rose water. Not fond of honey but the rosewater really lifts it. Absolute heaven with a cup of good black coffee.
My family is from Armenia. One of my best memories from my childhood is going to our family reunion and eating Baklava and Armenian Bread. I’m pretty sure the Armenian version is the same as the Turkish version, I always remember it being made with pistachios.
Yes!!! As a fellow Armenian, this virtually as close to my grandmothers recipe as possible. We love to see it!