Weeknight Paklava
Տնական փախլավա·(tnakan pakhlava)
Coffee Hour (Sweet Endings & Baking Traditions)
Forget the forty sheets of paper-thin phyllo and hours spent brushing clarified butter. When the grandmothers of Yerevan wanted paklava on a Tuesday, they made this rustic sour cream dough sandwiching a thick cloud of walnut meringue that won't crumble down your shirt. It smells of old-world cinnamon and toasted nuts, comes together in half an hour, and delivers exactly the hit of homeland nostalgia you need without the artisanal guilt.
Before you start
Leave the walnuts chunky.
You want a rustic texture to contrast against the soft pastry, so chop them by hand rather than blitzing them to dust in a food processor.
Ingredients
- all-purpose flour3 cup
- unsalted butter1 cup
- salt1/4 tsp
- full-fat sour cream1 cup
- baking soda1 tsp
- egg yolks3 large
- egg whites3 large
- granulated sugar1 1/2 cup
- walnuts2 1/2 cup
- ground cinnamon1 1/2 tsp
- ground cardamom1/4 tsp
- egg yolk1 large
- milk1 tsp
- walnut halves24 large
- honey1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Toss in the cubed butter and use your fingers to rub it in until the mixture resembles coarse, pea-sized crumbs.
- 02
Activate the sour cream and mix the dough.
Stir the baking soda into the sour cream so it bubbles slightly, then add it along with the three egg yolks to the flour mixture. Mix gently just until a cohesive dough forms, divide into three equal balls, wrap tightly in plastic, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- 03
Whip the walnut meringue filling.
While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350°F. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, gradually stream in the sugar to create a glossy meringue, and gently fold in the coarsely chopped walnuts, cinnamon, and cardamom.
- 04
Assemble the layers in a greased pan.
Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. Roll the first dough ball to fit the bottom, spread exactly half the filling over it, top with the second rolled dough ball, add the remaining filling, and cap with the final layer of dough.
- 05
Score into diamonds and brush with egg wash.
Whisk the remaining egg yolk with the milk and brush it over the top layer. Use a sharp knife to score the pastry into classic diamond shapes, cutting through the top dough but not quite breaching the bottom crust, and press a walnut half into the center of each diamond.
- 06
Bake until golden, then finish with honey.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the pastry is puffed and deeply golden. Pull it out, generously drizzle the warm honey over the top and into the scored crevices, and return to the oven for 5 minutes so it bubbles and caramelizes.
- 07
Cool completely in the pan before serving.
Let the paklava rest until totally cool so the layers settle and the honey binds everything together.
Notes
Treat the dough gently.
Over-kneading will activate the gluten and leave you with tough pastry layers instead of a tender crumb. Mix it just enough to hold together.
The meringue is the secret binder.
Beating the egg whites suspends the chunky nuts, ensuring the filling remains airy and doesn't spill out onto your plate when you take a bite.
From Cook Armenian in America.