How to store baklava properly
Baklava is so delicious. Homemade or freshly bought (here’s where to get the best in Amsterdam!), I’m crazy about the sticky, sweet and slightly crunchy pastry. I can’t imagine leaving this untouched for very long. But suppose you don’t finish it right away… How long can you store baklava? And what’s the best way to do it?
You often see baklava in Turkish and Greek cuisine. It’s a pastry made with layers of filo dough, filled with a homemade nut mixture. That nut filling usually consists of walnuts and pistachios. At best, honey is poured over the pastry, but often it’s sugar syrup. That’s what makes baklava so deliciously sticky and extra sweet.
Social calories
In addition to lots of sugar, baklava also contains butter. A serious calorie bomb, but as long as you only have one piece, there’s nothing to worry about. And as chef and cookbook author Mounir Toub puts it so beautifully: they’re ‘social calories’. After all, you usually eat baklava and other sweets when there’s something to celebrate, and never alone. Well… never say never… Can you resist the pastry when you’re home alone?
Baklava at its best
Freshly baked baklava is best stored at room temperature. So, outside the refrigerator. It’s not recommended to store baklava chilled: it will become hard. Also, make sure you wrap the baklava airtight, in a sealed container. This prevents the baklava from drying out. If you store your baklava this way, it will stay delicious for at least a week.
Freeze baklava?
Opinions differ quite a bit when it comes to freezing baklava. Some bakers say you can freeze baklava without any problems. The pastry will then keep for 2 to 3 months. Other experts advise against storing baklava in the freezer, because it can become somewhat drier. Did you make baklava yourself and still want to freeze it? Store the sugar syrup separately. When you want to eat it, take the baklava out of the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator. Then warm the baklava in the oven for about fifteen minutes (at 180 degrees) and finally pour sugar syrup over it. It will taste as if you’ve just made it fresh.
More Turkish treats
I assume you’re a baklava lover if you’re reading this. Then you undoubtedly also love knafeh: a pastry made with kataifi (thin strands of filo dough, pistachio, syrup and… cheese. Yes, really. So delicious too, and definitely something you should get from a Turkish bakery or supermarket. And I have one more golden tip for you: the knafeh chocolate bar. It’s going completely viral at the moment. For those who can never have sweets sweet enough, you’ve really struck gold with this.
Also read:
- Know before you go: 10 Turkish treats you may want to avoid
- Want insanely delicious Turkish pizza too? Then you need to go here
- 5 baking mistakes you make (and how to fix them)
Sources: lekkerturkseten.nl, Tasting Table, Serifoglu Amsterdam, Rutger Bakt
