Almond and walnut baklava scrolls

Almond and walnut baklava scrolls were inspired by a creation my step mum usually makes. When I asked her for the recipe she simply said “There is none” haha So by her briefly telling me what she usually adds I started recipe testing combinations and amounts. I was really overwhelmed by the positive response on social media as I posted the method and final result on my Instagram stories, which is quite gratifying especially when recipe testing takes time.

The almond and walnut baklava scrolls came about as I wanted to create a baklava recipe to commemorate the diamond anniversary of the Antoniou phyllo pastry. For 60 years, the Antoniou family has been supplying phyllo and kataifi pastry all over Australia. It is an amazing and proud achievement by a family of Cypriot migrants, who have set up such a successful business, in which now there are three generations of Antoniou members working in. I felt very privileged to receive a pack by them that included the most common ingredients required for baklava, and more specifically for the famous baklava recipe made by yiayia Marina.

The ingredients needed

The ingredients for the filling are simple and include: almonds, walnuts, caster sugar, ground cinnamon and rosewater. Part of the assembly method you need to brush each phyllo pastry with an oil and butter mixture. To keep this recipe Lent appropriate I added Nuttelex butter, instead of unsalted butter, as it is plant derived.

For the phyllo I used a premade pack by the Antoniou family. If you have never worked with phyllo before please take note of the following:
1. Phyllo needs a minimum of 2 hours to thaw in its own pack before you can use it. That way it will be easier to work with.
2. Phyllo dries up quite quickly, so as you are assembling the baklava scrolls you need to have the stack you are not using covered with a damp cloth. And then work through the phyllo as quickly as you can.
3. Each time a sheet of phyllo comes into contact with another you need to ensure it is brushed with oil/butter so it doesn’t dry out and so that it cooks properly and gives you that golden result.

The assembly method

Almond and walnut baklava scrolls are moderately easy to assemble and quite impressive. The pieces are not excessively large so you could have each of the almond and walnut baklava scrolls as an individual serving. Above are some photos showing you the order of the steps to achieve the final shape.

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Almond and walnut baklava scrolls

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 10 mins

 

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Greek

Servings: 10

Author: Eleni Georges

Ingredients

Honey syrup

• 1 cup caster sugar, 250g
• ¾ cup water
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• ½ cup honey, 150g

Filling

• 2 cups almonds, 280g
• 1 cup walnuts, 100g
• 1/3 cup caster sugar, 85g
• ½ tbs cinnamon, ground
• 1 tbs rosewater, optional

Assembly

• 1 packet phyllo pastry, 375g, 20 single sheets
• ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¾ cup Nuttelex butter, melted

Instructions

Honey syrup

1. Allow the phyllo pastry to thaw in its packet for at least 2 hours before using it. Meanwhile make the honey syrup by adding all the ingredients, except the honey, in a small pot. Stir and allow the mixture to simmer for 15min. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the honey. Once the syrup cools down, place it in the fridge to chill until needed.

Filling

1. To make the filling add all the ingredients together in a food processor and grind them until they are all consistent in size but not very fine. The rosewater gives the filling a beautiful aroma but if you do not have it you may omit that. There will be some filling left in the end, which may be sprinkled on top before serving.

Assembly

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan forced. Brush a 12 cupcake tin with some extra virgin olive oil. To start assembling the baklava scrolls place the phyllo sheets covered with a damp cloth and use one at a time. Mix the extra virgin olive oil with the melted Nuttelex butter. I used Nuttelex butter as it is plant derived to keep it Lent appropriate, otherwise you may use unsalted butter.
2. Use the photos above to help guide you on how to assemble the scrolls. On a clean surface place a phyllo sheets lengthwise. Brush it with the butter/oil, place a second phyllo sheet on top and brush again. Fold the sheets in half along their length. Brush the top surface with the butter/oil and spread 3 tbs of the nut filling, leaving a small boarder uncovered. Fold the sheets in half along their length and brush the top surface with the butter/oil. Fold in half one last time and brush the top surface with the butter/oil.

3. Finally roll the strip to form a scroll but do not do it very tight otherwise the phyllo sheets may rip. Place the scroll in a muffin tin and then brush the outside again with butter/oil. Repeat the assembly process again until all sheets are done. Usually in a pack of phyllo there are 20-21 sheets, so you will form 10 baklava scrolls.

4. Place the baklava scrolls in the oven for 40min, turning the tray around after 20min of cooking. Then reduce the temperature to 160°C and cook for a further 10-15min to help cook the centre without burning the outside.

5. Lastly you need to cover the baklava scrolls with the honey syrup. You may pour the syrup on top once the baklava scrolls come out of the oven and leave them in the tin until they cool down. Otherwise you may dunk each scroll using tongs in a tall container that has the syrup. Leave each scroll at a time for 10seconds then place them back in the tin. Any syrup that is left in excess will be collected in the tin, which will make the bottom of the scrolls even sweeter! Alternatively you may leave the scrolls to cool down on a cooling rack. Sprinkle any left over filling on top of the baklava scroll before serving.