Baklava (Olive Oil Healthy)

Baklava is delicious and easy to make. It can also be healthy with honey, pistachios, and extra virgin olive oil.

When I was in first grade, a classmate brought in baklava that’s not your usual elementary school age dessert, like cupcakes. 🧁

But I distinctly remember it was a unique sweet…

One that I would embrace again as an adult.

…Fast forward decades later, and I lived and breathed baklava daily when I planned hundreds of parties for a Lebanese restaurant chain.

The only menu food item or dish that wasn’t prepared fresh daily was the baklava.

And that was because of the phyllo dough that even restaurateurs say is, “hard to make.”

But from my home lessons, I pleasantly discovered the opposite.

I found it was actually quite easy to make your own phyllo…

💭And I’m thinking that would be the same for you at home…

I share my baklava lessons and know-how below.

I also found that Mediterranean diet healthy extra virgin olive oil is even easier than melting butter… oh, and healthier too!

It’s the Mediterranean way to slather in Extra Virgin Olive Oil polyphenols that are anti-inflammatory diet good! 🫒

And the Mediterranean healthy matches the Turkish vibes where baklava has been traced to possibly have first originated from.

…But wherever the exact origins are, baklava’s Mediterranean roots are also near the pasta capital of the world.🌍

That’s where a pasta machine meets baklava.😉

And  I would say (or argue) is as easy as making homemade pasta 🍝even though others will tell you to not bother and just buy the phyllo sheets.

But that’s NOT as fun… and it’s totally up to you! Phyllo recipe below. 🧡

If you do make your own, cold dough is more pliable and you’re less likely to get see-through holes.

You can use a mix of healthy flour (brown rice or almond flour) and all-purpose flour that will help the consistent texture.

Mix the flour, water, olive oil and vinegar (red, white, or apple cider works) and make 16 small balls for 2 side-by-side for 8 layers if you want to make traditional baklava.

You can see how big each ball needs to be based on your baking pan size you’ll be using by rolling out one.

Then refrigerate in a plastic container with a lid for a few hours or overnight.

When ready, with a pasta machine and the right prepared dough, you can roll out your own phyllo dough consistently if you follow these baklava tips:

Tip #1: use a lot of flour that sticks to the dough. If your flour dough sticks to the machine, you’re done. Ok, kidding… but you’ll have to start over and that can be a lesson. 😊 This is what I mean by a lot of flour:

Tip #2: As soon as you roll out your dough to the right thin-ness, cut and then add the layer directly to your baking pan.

On a machine, you can start on a wide setting and then move to the medium setting (“3” on my machine) and that should be enough. You don’t have to get to the “1” setting.

And since the baklava dough is best very thin like opaque pantyhose, it’s delicate to handle and can stick.

…So the less transporting you need to do between trays, the better.

Using a pizza roller (or a pair of kitchen scissors) to cut the dough, makes life easy and quick.

Tip #3: Cut or at least score the baklava dessert before you bake, so you don’t have mostly crumbs to sweep up after baking.

Also, when you make the dough, let it rest for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.

When ready, you can bake in a 350°F/180°C oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden to deeper brown edges.

Then slather with honey and zhugh with pistachio and you’ve got your delicious treats you can share! 💕 They are best eaten right away or same day. Enjoy the moment.

 

👉 If you would like a healthy baking new year challenge using anti-inflammatory ingredients for better, healthy lifestyle goals, you can check out this FREE healthy baking dessert challenge to get you off to a great start! 🎉