Baklavash (Baklava Recipe)

After receiving flatbread from California Lavash, I’ve experimented with a lot of savory dishes, making pinwheel appetizers, sandwich wraps, chicken soup and a goat cheese tart. I decided it was time to also satisfy my family’s sweet tooth. I made a baklava-style dessert using lavash bread, hence the name ”baklavash”! The preparation is similar to making baklava (also spelled baclava or baklawa), except phyllo dough is replaced with the lavash, which makes the task a lot easier. When working with phyllo, you have to be sure to assemble the dessert pretty fast and keep the unused portion covered with a wet towel at all times as phyllo tends to dry out quickly. With lavash, you can take your time and not worry about this problem.

I filled the layers of lavash with ghee (Indian-style clarified butter), ground cinnamon, blossom honey, walnuts and pistachios (my favorite nut). It’s a stress-free, easy dessert, and I love the convenience of it!

1. Info for Baklavash (Baklava Recipe)

• Cook Time: 55 min
• Total Time: 1 hr 40 min
• Servings: 12
• Calories: 360 kcal

2. Ingredients for Baklavash (Baklava Recipe)

• 4 sheets original lavash flat bread
• 2-2/3 cups ground walnuts (see tips)
• 12 tablespoons ghee (or butter), melted
• 12 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 small stick cinnamon, broken in half
• 1 clove (about ¼ teaspoon), finely ground
• 4 tablespoons blossom honey
• 2 tablespoons date syrup
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 tablespoons pistachios, crushed

3. Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grate about ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. Reserve the rest of the stick for the syrup.
2. In a bowl, combine the ground walnuts, 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, ground cinnamon and ground clove.
3. Measure your pan and cut the sheets to match the actual inside dimensions (Cut each sheet in half). Prick the sheets of bread with a fork; otherwise the dessert will turn out dry.
4. Line 2 (7” x 5”) pans with parchment paper and slightly brush with ghee using a pastry brush. Top with one level of lavash. Brush the bread with a generous layer of melted ghee. Sprinkle a layer of the walnut mixture. Add another layer of lavash, previously brushed with melted ghee on both sides. Repeat until 3 layers separate layers of walnut mixture. Make sure to butter between each layer of lavash, so they’re almost soaked in ghee.
5. Using kitchen shears (or a serrated knife), carefully snip and score the 3 first layers of lavash into a diamond pattern (3 long strips, then 3 diagonal cuts). For the syrup, combine the remaining sugar, ½ cup of water, cinnamon stick , lemon juice, honey and date syrup in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil and let simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the cinnamon. Allow the syrup to cool a little. Bake the baklavash for 30-35 minutes at 350°F until slightly golden. Remove the baklavash from the oven and drizzle with the cooled syrup to moisten the dessert. Let sit for at least 2 hours (be patient!). The baklavash should be gooey and sticky.