Learn how to make Baklava rolls, your favorite Middle Eastern Mediterranean dessert with Phyllo sheets|Easy recipe for Baklava rolls

Baklava, crunchy dessert with addictive flavors and beautiful layered texture. It is a traditional treat made with phyllo sheets, layered with butter. The sweet factor of baklava comes from the flavored sugar and honey syrup.

It is an ultimate crowd pleaser and easy to make for big gatherings. Be it Diwali, Holi or Thanksgiving, this dessert get's a thumbs up from all age groups.

Trust me it is highly addictive and we love this flaky dessert!!

History of Baklava

The origin of Baklava is undocumented and hence controversial. Some believe that it originated in Greece in third century BC. But it is believed to be originated in Assyria region (area around Turkey and Iraq) in 8th century B.C.

Baklava in ancient times was made only on special occasions and it was called as rich man's dessert. But now with changing times it has gained popularity and one even order online also packs of Baklava.

Baklava is popular in Mediterranean countries, Middle East and now it is widely accepted in America and many Asian countries.In USA, one can see stores loaded with the packs and packs of scrumptious crunchy pastry filled with nuts and sweetened with sugar or honey syrup.

In the countries where it is popular , Baklava is prepared in many variations with different filings and cut into different shapes. Traditionally, people prepare homemade pastry sheets with different fillings like walnuts, pistachio, almonds and hazelnuts. Phyllo sheets are easily available in many countries now so people can make it at home too. Phyllo in Greek means 'leaf', these sheets are as thin as leaf and this thinness give Baklava it;s characteristic crunch (Please Note..Above information from various online resources).

I tried my hands on making Baklava for the first while doing my Patisserie course. I never tried making it at home as making Phyllo dough is quite time consuming. Also immediately after doing my course we shifted to US. Here in US, fortunately we get Phyllo dough sheets and made it 1-2 times on special occasions like potlucks.

For the first time I referred lot of online recipes and the recipe that is given on the pack. Now I do my own substitutions in filling and flavors.

Recently I made these for Diwali. But could not take pics as, I took it for potluck. But this week when Archana from my face Foodie Bloghop group suggested the Mediterranean Theme, I decided to make Baklava as I still had a pack in my freezer.

Archana blogs at The Mad Scientist Kitchen and you must go and checkout her blog for lots of healthy and nutritious dishes , baking stuff that you will love, which easy and quick to prepare too.

I made Baklava Rolls as I had decided to do the post on Diwali but could not do it. and there are already a few of the Mediterranean recipes are on the blog..I wanted to make vegetarian gyros or Pita sandwiches but realized that I ran shot of yogurt that i use for make the sauce/dip.

Do check these dishes from the Mediterranean cuisine..

Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Tomato Soup, Chickpea and Couscous Soup, Rosemary Foccacia with Cherries, Refreshing Greek Salad, Vegetable Pizza, Falafel with Mint yogurt dip, Hummus, Tzatziki,

A little about Mediterranean Cuisine

Mediterranean Cuisine is the food culture of countries on shores of the Mediterranean Sea which connect many cultures together. The countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea are Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco; Malta and Cyprus are island countries in the sea.

Among the vegetarian ingredients Wheat, Olives, cheese, Yogurt, Nuts like Walnuts, Pistachios, Almonds are used widely in these countries. Lentils and legumes like chickpeas, whole/split Red Lentil, Black Eyed Peas and lentils are commonly used in salads, stews and soups and falafels.

Herbs and spices like rosemary, Oregano, thyme along with garlic are widely used for flavor.

Among the desserts there is Gelato, Tiramisu,Olive oil cakes in various flavors like orange.

How to make Baklava Rolls

For me Baklava Rolls are much more easier to assemble and then cut, store and serve, instead of the layered shapes.

If you think it is quite a task to make it at home, trust me.. once you do it,, you will never go back again to the store-bought packs.Only condition is that you should have ready-made Phyllo sheets and it is ready within a few hours. You can make it 2-3 days ahead of your parties and get-togethers, at-least 5-6 hrs before serving.

While using Phyllo sheets we have to carefully handle the sheets so that it doesn't tear or dry out. Some points that can help..

• Keep the frozen Phyllo sheets in refrigerator to thaw 7-8 hrs before using.
• Try not to freeze again the thawed sheets.
• Carefully take out each sheet while working. Do not pat the sheets with force, gently place once sheet above the other.
• carefully apply butter with a brush on the sheets, take care these don't tear apart.
• Keep the rest of the sheets covered with a damp kitchen towel so that the sheets don't dry.

Another recipe where you can use Phyllo sheets for savory snack .. Spanakopita

There are three main steps while making Baklava

Prepare nuts..

You can choose nuts of your choice for filling Baklava.. Walnuts, Pistachios, Almonds, Cashew nuts or Hazelnuts. Coarsely grind nuts in food processor or use a knife or rolling pin.

Mix coarse nut powder with castor or fine sugar. I added less sugar as we like desserts with moderate sweetness. Store bought baklava are too sweet for us. So, when I make at home I add less sugar in filling than standard recipes.

You can also mix nuts with honey or maple syrup to make filling.

You can spread any chocolate spread like hazelnut(nutella) for a different taste, Kids love this way.

Next part is layering the phyllo sheets. Melt butter and spread on each sheet. Lightly coat butter on sheets do not over use it.

Make Sugar Honey Syrup

Mix sugar, honey/maple syrup in water and boil for few minutes. Let it cool and then drizzle on baked and warm Baklava rolls.

Please note .. few pics were not uploaded due some technical in step wise method are missing, will updated soon..

Prepare Baklava Rolls

I used a single pack with around 30 sheets.

For each Baklava Roll we need to layer 3 phyllo sheets . for that, take one sheet first, lightly brush butter on it.

Next carefully keep the other 2 sheets likewise and brush butter on it. On the top sheet spread butter very lightly, spread nuts and sugar lightly all over and roll like the roualde.

If the roll is bigger than the baking pan, then you can cut the sides to adjust it in pan. Before placing the roll, brush butter in pan.

Repeat the steps for rest of the sheets and arrange rolls in baking tray.

Bake Baklava rolls

Pre-heat oven to 350ºF or 180°C and bake for 40-45 minutes, till pastry turns light brown in color and looks crisp.

Once done, take out and place on counter for 5 minutes. Cut the rolls to desired size.Then drizzle the syrup over the rolls.

Drizzle more nuts and serve with tea or coffee or as dessert.

If you easily get Phyllo sheets at the store in your area do try this crispy and flaky dessert. You can make it in bulk and serve at your gatherings..One of the best and easy to make festive treats at home!!

Hope you and your loved ones will like this simple and easy to make Baklava Rolls. Do give me your feedback whenever you make these.

Say Hello!!and visit my social media accounts.. FB, Pinterest and Instagram. Whenever you make this, do post on my FB page or tag me on Instagram. Pin the recipes for later use.

If you like my work, then do hit the follow button and subscribe to the blog to get notifications on new posts and share the blog with your loved ones. I promise won't spam your mailbox ?.

Thanks for stopping by and keep coming back!!