Pakhlava — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Layers of thin pastry filled with spiced ground nuts and soaked in saffron-honey syrup, cut into distinctive diamond shapes. The Azerbaijani version is distinguished by its use of saffron and cardamom.

Ingredients

500g all-purpose flour
250g butter, melted
4 eggs
300g ground walnuts
200g ground hazelnuts
200g sugar
1 teaspoon cardamom
For syrup: 200g honey, 100ml water, pinch of saffron
Whole hazelnuts for decoration

Instructions

1 Make dough with flour, 2 eggs, 100g melted butter, and a pinch of salt. Divide into 10 portions.
2 Mix nuts, sugar, and cardamom for filling.
3 Roll each dough portion thin. Layer 5 sheets in a buttered pan, brushing each with butter.
4 Spread nut filling evenly, then layer remaining 5 sheets with butter.
5 Cut into diamonds with a sharp knife. Press a hazelnut half into each piece.
6 Brush top with egg yolk beaten with saffron water.
7 Bake at 180°C for 35-40 minutes until golden.
8 Make syrup by heating honey, water, and saffron. Pour over hot pakhlava.

Did You Know?

Azerbaijani pakhlava always features a hazelnut half pressed into the center of each diamond before baking, distinguishing it from Turkish and Greek versions at a single glance.