The smell, taste, and look of the holidays rolled into a sticky, crunchy, sweet confection does more than tickle your senses. My holiday rolled baklava recipe focuses on holiday flavors to include pistachios, pomegranate seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, brown sugar, and orange zest rolled in layers of buttered phyllo dough and coated in a honey-orange syrup. This is quite the indulgence to serve your guests or give as gifts.
Baklava Origins
Baklava is a well-known dessert around the world. The origins are unknown, but both Turkey and Greece stake their claims. There is record of the modern-day baklava served to the upper class during the 15th century Ottoman Empire in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul, Turkey). While there are many variations, the most basic baklava recipe includes finely chopped nuts surrounded in thin sheets of phyllo dough and covered in a simple syrup or honey. Regardless of the assembly technique in stacking or rolling, you achieve layers of sweet nuttiness.
My Holiday Baklava Inspiration (Lots of Personal Info Here)
Well, it took a while… too honest?
Honestly, I’m not a fan of baklava. I never really intended or wanted to make baklava for a YouTube video or blog post. I’ve had several requests and know many people who have their own recipes. The idea of another baklava recipe just didn’t seem interesting to me. Truthfully, I didn’t think anyone would care for another baklava recipe… maybe no one will care for this one.
My Nut History (What I Really Think…)
I must confess, I’m not a “nut eater, lover, or connoisseur”. As a kid, I used to say, “I HATE nuts!”… strong feeling, I know, but a typical kid reaction. However, nut butters were always fine, as long as they had a smooth texture. I’m still not a fan of the bitter, “dirty” tasting pecans and walnuts (my perspective, mind you). However, as an adult, I have come to enjoy pistachios, cashews, and the occasional peanut and almond, but when I was kid… absolutely NO nuts. In fact, my nut-loving mom used to make a small pan of brownies, banana “no nut” bread, and cookies just for me. Gotta love mom!! 😊
How it All Happened: Unexpected Advantages of Being an Educator
A couple of years ago, a former student of mine from Syria was homesick for Syrian cuisine. It was during our holiday vacation, and she couldn’t go back to Syria for many reasons. So, she and I spent the day together and went to lunch at a local Middle Eastern restaurant. She was so happy to eat food from home and connect with the Iranian owner who, after an incredible meal of shawarma and lots of side dishes, treated us to his special house-made pistachio baklava. My “nut-so-fan” of baklava opinion completely took a 180-degree turn. I dare share I became a convert. 😉
My Turkish Fascination
Fast forward to today (the past year, actually), I have become super intrigued with the Turkish language, culture, cuisine, and history. I’m learning Turkish, as we speak, so I can enjoy Turkish TV, music, and movies in their native language. Future trips are a must as well! This fascination, of course, has led to my renewed interest in baklava, the signature Turkish and Greek dessert.
Homemade Phyllo Dough was the Instigator
I’ve had homemade phyllo dough on my list of worldly bakes for a long time. That, of course, led to Greek Spanakopita, and the one dish I didn’t think I wanted to make… baklava. But how could I make phyllo dough and ignore baklava? And then it happened… I remembered the Middle Eastern pistachio baklava I ate with my student (and my appreciation for Turkish… well, most everything). Now we’re getting somewhere. I became excited at the thought of making it mine using ingredients and flavors I love for my favorite season in honor of a culture, language, and food I appreciate. As crazy as it sounds, I have spent sleepless nights thinking about this recipe, so excited of its potential. And here it is in all of my ”not-so-nut-loving” glory. As an aside, I now have a recipe for baklava that I love to eat and enjoy making.
Holiday Rolled Baklava Recipe Ingredients
For my holiday rolled baklava recipe, you’ll need granulated sugar, water, orange zest and juice, honey, phyllo dough (store-bought or homemade), pistachios, pomegranate arils (seeds), cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, brown sugar, and butter. Not too bad, right?
Zest & Juice an Orange & Remove the Pomegranate Arils (Seeds)
Zest & Juice a Large Orange
Begin with a little prep of zesting the orange. Zest the orange and set it zest aside. Juice the orange by cutting it in half and squeeze out as much of the juice and pulp as you can in a 1-cup (236-milliliter) measuring cup. Add enough water to the measuring cup to equal 236 milliliters (or 1 cup).
TIP: Yes, add the pulp. The pulp sits pretty on top of the baked baklava and yields a burst of freshness and orange flavor.
Remove the Pomegranate Arils (Seeds)
Remove the pomegranate arils, which are the seeds. You might be lucky enough to find in your grocery store the arils (seeds) already removed. If not, use a knife to score a pomegranate into 4 sections (only cut through the outer skin) from the top root to the bottom. Pull the sections apart so you don’t cut into the seeds. Place the pomegranate sections in a bowl of water and gently rake your fingers across the seeds to remove them to sink to the bottom of the bowl. The pith and skins are buoyant and should float to the top. Remove the pith and skins as they release the seeds and discard them. Once all seeds are at the bottom of the bowl, skim any remaining pith off the top, drain the seeds, and place them on towels to dry until you’re ready for them in the recipe.
Make the Honey-Orange Syrup
Cook Sugar, Orange Juice, & Water
In a small saucepan over a burner, add 300 grams (1½ cups) of granulated sugar. Stir in the orange juice and water. Heat the saucepan over medium-high heat until boiling. Reduce the heat to medium-low with a consistent simmer. Cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent any burning.
Stir in Honey & Set Aside
Stir in 170 grams (½ cup) of honey until mixed well and melted. Remove the syrup from the heat. Set it aside to cool.
Preheat Oven & Prepare Baking Dish
Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C). Grease and set aside a 9×13-inch (3 quart) baking dish. I prefer to use butter to grease my pan since butter is the primary fat in this recipe, but you can use whatever greaser you like.
TIP: A large baking dish with tall sides is imperative to accommodate the height of the rolled baklava and contain the syrup.
Make the Spiced Pistachio & Pomegranate Filling
To a food processor, place 226 grams (2 cups or ½ pound) of roasted, unsalted pistachios. Add the spices. Begin with 4.5 grams (1½ teaspoons) of ground cinnamon, 1 gram (½ teaspoon) of grated nutmeg, and 1 gram (½ teaspoon) of ground cloves. Add in the orange zest and 74 grams (⅓ cup packed) of brown sugar. Pulse until the nuts are in very small pieces. Spoon the pistachio mixture into a bowl and stir in ~1 cup (~130 grams) of pomegranate arils (seeds) until mixed well.
TIP: Non nut lovers appreciate smaller nut pieces. 😉
Melt Butter
In a small bowl, melt 226 grams (1 cup, 2 sticks, or 8 ounces) of butter in the microwave. Dice it first and heat it for 20-30 seconds. Stir and continue to heat in 5- to 10- second increments and stirring after each increment until melted.
Assemble the Baklava
Prepare the Assembly Line & Unroll Phyllo Sheets
Place the greased baking dish, melted butter, and pistachio filling next to a work surface to assemble the baklava. With all the ingredients ready, open the package of thawed phyllo sheets. You will use 18 total store-bought or 12 homemade phyllo sheets. Keep the phyllo stacked and covered with wax paper, parchment paper or a towel to keep air from drying them out. I like to place my phyllo stack on a cookie sheet, so I can move them around the kitchen as needed.
TIPS: Commercial phyllo sheets are sold by weight and although the box may say there are 18 sheets, you might end up with 15 or 21. I have had both! To prevent the unexpected, count the sheets before you begin assembling your rolls or when you reach the 4th roll. If you only have a total of 15 sheets, use only 2 sheets for the last 2 rolls instead of 3 OR cut back to 5 total rolls. If using homemade phyllo sheets that are thicker, use 1-2 sheets for each roll instead of 3 depending on the sheet thickness. Then, following the recipe as directed.
Butter & Stack 3 Phyllo Sheets Per Baklava Roll
Remove one phyllo sheet and cover the remaining. Place it on a work surface. Brush the top with melted butter using a pastry brush. Repeat placing another phyllo sheet on top of the buttered one, butter it, and repeat with a 3rd phyllo sheet stacking and buttering as you go.
TIP: If using homemade phyllo sheets that are thicker, use 2 sheets for each roll instead of 3 following the same procedure.
Spread Out the Pistachio Filling
Spread a sixth (½ cup) of the pistachio mixture evenly on the stack of three buttered phyllo sheets. It may not look like a lot of filling but once rolled, there will be plenty per roll. Leave an inch border all around. Begin at a short end and roll up the stacked phyllo sheets tightly like a cinnamon roll. As you near the end, brush the roll edges lightly with butter. Fold in the rough edges (only about an inch) like a burrito to enclose the filling and smooth the jagged edges. Then, finish rolling.
TIP: Folding in the ends creates a smooth look to the roll edges and allows the rolls to fit in the pan. Reserve some of the filling to use as a decorative topping for serving.
Place Rolls in Prepared Pan & Repeat with Remaining Ingredients
Place each roll seam-side down in the greased baking dish. Brush each roll with butter as you place them. Continue with remaining phyllo dough by buttering each sheet and stacking three at a time. Add the filling and roll as described folding in edges. Place rolls side-by-side touching in the pan. You should have 6 rolls total that fill the pan tightly.
TIP: If the rolls sitting in the pan begin to look dry, brush them lightly with the melted butter.
Cut & Bake
Slice the rolls crosswise into thirds to equal 18 pieces. Each cut should be completely through the rolls. Smaller, individual rolls equate to one serving. Bake the baklava for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown, dry, and crispy on top.
Baked Holiday Rolled Baklava!
Remove baklava from the oven. Immediately, give the honey-orange syrup a quick stir and pour evenly over the rolls. You should only pour in enough syrup to fill the pan ½ to ¾ full. If too much syrup is poured, the baklava rolls will be too moist and will lose their crunch. Allow the baklava to sit at room temperature to soak up the liquid and cool for at least an hour, though longer is best.
TIP: The syrup will sizzle as it hits the hot pan.
Holiday Rolled Baklava Up Close
Notice the liquid has all soaked in and the bottom is caramelized. The top is still crunchy. Slices are easy to remove even with a bit of stickiness from the honey. The edges are smooth, pretty, nice, and tight. Notice the layers from the rolling. You can see the green pistachios and the ruby red pomegranate arils. Since we left in the orange pulp, you can spot orange sitting on top of the rolls as well. This is definitely holiday wrapped in a roll.
Holiday Rolled Baklava Storage Suggestions
Store the baklava covered in the fridge for up to a week. For longer storage, wrap in plastic each roll or pair or so of rolls depending on how many you may eat in a sitting, store in the fridge for only a few days, or give away for holiday gifts. The rolls will be sticky so wrapping them individually, in pairs, or trios makes them easier to separate and portion out. Freeze them in an airtight bag or container and thaw in the fridge before eating. To use for holiday gifts, store them individually wrapped in the freezer and remove them to give away whenever you see fit.
Holiday Rolled Baklava Serving Suggestion
To serve as an elegant holiday dessert, sprinkle some reserved filling over the top of each roll or pair of rolls as in the image below. Serve with a fork for a beautiful after-dinner, indulgent, sweet treat.
Holiday Rolled Baklava Final Thoughts
This is a beautiful, elegant, and full-on indulgent dessert to have on hand during the holiday season. The beauty lies in the green pistachios, red pomegranate arils, and orange pulp visible on top. Once cut, the baklava rolls have a nice tight roll appearance with lots of layers of visible nuts, spices, orange zest, and pomegranate arils. The individual rolls make wonderful gifts, especially for the outlying, surprise gift-giver you don’t expect. Since it’s a make-ahead treat, you can make the rolls months ahead of time and store them wrapped in the freezer until needed. The house smells warm and inviting with the nutty, buttery, fruity, sweet indulgence that keeps you coming back for more. I’m very happy with this baklava recipe. I’m so glad I decided to create it to make it something I could share, love, and enjoy eating, too.
Baker’s Perspective
This recipe takes a little time. However, since it can be made months ahead, it’s a feasible dessert or gift to make for the holidays. While I enjoy homemade phyllo dough in my Greek Spanakopita, since we are talking about the busy holiday season, I prefer to use store-bought phyllo in this recipe. I find it difficult to locate shelled, roasted, unsalted pistachios. Instead, I spend an hour in front the TV shelling store-bought roasted, unsalted pistachios (reminds me of my grandma “snapping beans”).
You can eliminate the pomegranate removal by buying a container of pomegranate arils already removed. Making the honey-orange syrup takes at least 10 minutes, but that can be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge. Combining the filling is quick but buttering and layering phyllo dough take a little time. Once it’s all said and done, the elegance and indulgence of this baklava make it all worth it, particularly since you can divide the steps over several days and take a few shortcuts.
Taster’s Perspective
Yummy! I can honestly say this, and I’m not a nut eater. The key for a non-nut-loving person to enjoy this recipe is chopping the pistachios in small pieces, almost ground. The nut roll is crunchy and crispy from the buttered phyllo sheets. We found all the flavors well-balanced. You can almost taste each ingredient. At first bite, orange comes through. You get freshness from the orange pulp and juice in the syrup along with orange zest and pomegranate arils in the filling. Brown sugar mixed with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves are a perfect holiday marriage and come through in just the right amounts. The pistachios are surprisingly quite mild but provide a wonderful crunch and texture.
You would be surprised to know that with all the sugar in the recipe, this baklava is NOT overly sweet. That amount of sugar in such a large pan to sweeten 18 large baklava rolls mixed with buttered phyllo isn’t that much sugar (at least not on the taste buds). You get a little burst of pomegranate juice and crunch from the arils. This is an all-around good dessert… have I said that enough?
If you decide to try this recipe, I truly hope you enjoy it with it meeting your expectations. Happy baking and happy holidays!!
Check out my YouTube Video on making this rolled baklava. “Holiday Rolled Baklava: Warm Spices, Pistachios, Pomegranate Seeds Coated in a Honey-Orange Syrup”
Holiday Rolled Baklava: Warm Spices, Pistachios, Pomegranate Seeds, & Orange
Ingredients
Honey-Orange Syrup
- 300 g (1½ cups) granulated sugar
- 79 -118 ml (⅓- ½ cup) orange juice and pulp 1 large, squeezed navel orange
- 118-157 ml (½ – ⅔ cup) water enough added to orange juice to equal 236 ml (1 cup)
- 170 g (½ cup) honey
Filling & Pastry
- 226 g (2 cups /½ lb) shelled pistachios, roasted and unsalted equals 1 lb pistachios IN shells
- 4.5 g (1½ tsp) ground cinnamon
- 1 g (½ tsp) grated nutmeg
- 1 g (½ tsp) ground cloves
- 1 tbsp orange zest from 1 large navel orange
- 74 g (⅓ cup packed) brown sugar
- ~1 cup (~130 g) pomegranate arils/seeds from 1 pomegranate
- 226 g (8 oz /2 sticks/1 cup) butter melted
- 18 sheets (1 pkg /1 lb) phyllo dough, thawed & covered use 12 sheets if using thicker homemade phyllo dough
Instructions
Zest & Juice Orange & Remove the Arils from Pomegranate
- Zest the orange and set the zest aside. Cut the orange in half and squeeze out as much juice and pulp as you can in a 1-cup measuring cup. Add enough water to total 236 ml (1 cup) total liquid.TIP: The pulp provides a burst of freshness and orange flavor in the baked baklava.
- Use a knife to score a pomegranate into 4 sections (only cut through the outer skin) from the top root to the bottom. Pull the sections apart so you don’t cut into the seeds. Place the pomegranate in a bowl of water and gently rake your fingers across the seeds to remove them to sink to the bottom. The pith and skins should float to the top. Remove the pith and skins as they release the seeds and discard them. Once all seeds are at the bottom of the bowl, skim any remaining pith off the top, drain the seeds, and place them on towels to dry until you’re ready for them in the recipe.
Make the Honey-Orange Syrup
- In a small saucepan, add sugar and stir in the orange juice and water mix. Heat on medium-high heat until boiling. Reduce the heat to medium-low with a consistent simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in honey until mixed well and melted. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Make the Filling
- Preheat oven to 375˚F (190˚C). Grease and set aside a 9×13-inch (3 qt) baking dish.
- In the bowl of a food processor, place the pistachios, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, orange zest, and brown sugar. Pulse until the nuts are in very small pieces.TIP: Non nut lovers appreciate smaller nut pieces.
- Spoon the pistachio mixture into a bowl and stir in pomegranate arils (seeds) until mixed well.
- In another small bowl, melt butter in the microwave by dicing and heating it for 20 seconds. Stir and continue heating in 5- to 10- second increments and stirring until melted.
Assemble the Baklava Rolls
- Open the package of thawed phyllo sheets. Keep them stacked and covered with wax paper, parchment paper &/or a damp towel to keep air from drying them out. Remove one phyllo sheet, place it on a work surface, brush the top with melted butter using a pastry brush. Repeat placing another phyllo sheet on top of the buttered one, butter it, and repeat with a 3rd phyllo sheet stacking and buttering as you go.TIPS: Commercial phyllo sheets are sold by weight and although the box says 18 sheets, you might end up with 15 or 21. I have had both! Count the sheets before you begin assembling your rolls or when you get to the 4th roll. If you only have a total of 15 sheets, use only 2 sheets for the last 2 rolls instead of 3 OR cut back to 5 total rolls. If using homemade phyllo sheets that are thicker, use 1-2 sheets for each roll instead of 3 depending on the sheet thickness. Then, following the recipe directions.
- Spread a sixth (½ cup) of the pistachio mixture evenly on the stack of buttered phyllo sheets leaving an inch border all around. Begin at a short end and roll up the stacked phyllo sheets tightly like a cinnamon roll. As you near the end, brush the roll edges lightly with butter and fold in the edges (only about an inch) like a burrito to enclose the filling and smooth the jagged edges. Then, finish rolling.TIPS: Folding in the ends creates a smooth look to the rolls’ edges and allows the rolls to fit in the pan. You can reserve ~¼ cup of the filling to use as a topping in serving the rolls to guests for an elegant dessert.
- Place the roll seam-side down in the greased baking dish brushing the roll with butter. Continue with remaining phyllo dough and filling using 3 phyllo sheets and ½ cup of filling per roll. Place rolls side-by-side touching in the pan. You should have 6 rolls total that fill the pan.TIP: If the rolls sitting in the pan begin to look dry, brush them lightly with the melted butter.
- Cut rolls crosswise completely into thirds to equal 18 pieces. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown, dry, and crispy on top.
- Remove baked baklava from the oven. Immediately, pour the honey-orange syrup evenly over the rolls until the pan is ½- ¾ full. Allow the baklava to sit at room temperature to soak up the liquid and cool for at least an hour, though longer is best. Store covered in the fridge until ready to eat. Cut through the already sliced rolls and serve.TIPS: The syrup will sizzle as it hits the hot pan. If too much syrup is poured, the baklava rolls will be too moist and will lose their crunch.
Video
Notes
Check out these holiday recipes.
Holiday Squash & Cranberry Muffins
Grandma’s Crispy Crust Moist Skillet Cornbread
Canadian Tourtière: Holiday Meat Pie
3 Simple & Flavorful Pie Crusts
Sweet Potato Swirled Babka Bread
Venezuelan Pan de Jamón (Ham Bread)
Grandma’s Yeast Rolls (The Berry Family Recipe)
French Pain d’Épices (Spice Bread)
Greek Vasilopita New Year’s Cake
Spanish King Cake (Rascón de Reyes Epiphany Bread)
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