Description
A nutty, buttery vegan Baghlava
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- Vegan phyllo dough (I use Fillo Factory which you can find at Whole Foods)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- Slice of lemon
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1/2 cup pistachios
- 1/2 cup vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)
Instructions
- Thaw phyllo dough according to package instructions. If thawed in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature before using (I put on the counter for 1-2 hours before making the baghlava). Keep package closed until use so the dough does not dry out.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Combine water and sugar and slice of lemon in a small pot on medium/high heat. Heat for 10-12 minutes until sugar is dissolved, mixture is boiling, and slightly thickened. Set aside and let cool.
- Finely chop walnuts and almonds together. I use a food processor. Set aside.
- Finely chop pistachios separately. I use a food processor for this as well. Set aside.
- Melt 1/2 cup vegan butter.
- Lightly brush the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish with butter.
- Carefully unwrap and remove 5 sheets of phyllo dough. Keep remaining phyllo dough covered until needed.
- Evenly brush one sheet of phyllo dough with butter. Fold phyllo dough in half and evenly brush with butter again. Place in the baking dish.
- Repeat step 9 with the remaining four sheets of phyllo dough.
- Add an even layer of the finely chopped walnuts and almonds. I generally do not use all the walnuts and almonds (save for ice cream topping or other baking).
- Sprinkle a layer of the finely chopped pistachios, saving some for the garnish.
- Carefully remove another 5 sheets of phyllo dough. Repeat step 9 with the next five sheets of phyllo dough.
- With a very sharp knife, cut pastry into vertical strips. Then cut across diagonally to make diamond shapes.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until slightly golden. Put oven on broil and cook another 1 minute. until golden brown.
- Oven temperatures vary so keep an eye and adjust baking time as needed.
- Remove from the oven and pour 4-5 ladles of the syrup evenly over the baghlava.
- Garnish each diamond with crushed pistachio.
- Let set and cool for 1 hour. Cut through the layers once more with a very sharp knife before serving.
Notes
- It is important to keep phyllo dough covered until use to avoid it drying out.
- The Fillo Factory phyllo dough that I use comes in 14X18 sheets. I fold each sheet in half, which fits nicely into a 9X13 baking dish. You can adjust your layers of baghlava according to the size of your phyllo dough and baking dish and preference. Just adjust the baking time as needed.
- It is important the syrup is cooled. Hot/warm syrup over hot baghlava will result in soggy baghlava.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desert
- Cuisine: Iranian/Persian
Keywords: Vegan, Plant-Based, Persian, Iranian, Desert, Egg-free, Dairy-free, Baghlava