Baklava, an Authentic Greek Recipe

This recipe was suppose to have gone up over the weekend...and it never did. I ended up slicing my right hand with a very sharp chef's knife, and I'm sure you can all imagine what followed. Lesson learned—never wash knives while distracted.

First things first—if you are searching for a quick and easy recipe, this is NOT it. Between prep and baking time, you will need 2 hrs, if not more. This is not an exaggeration, and if you have never made baklava before, you might need additional time.

The origin of baklava has long been debated, especially between Professor Spiros Vryonis (historian) and food writer, Charles Perry. I won’t go into this too deeply, but I will say that according to Professor Spiros Vryonis, the origin of baklava is said to have come from the Byzantine Empire—the pastry was called “kopte” and was a mixture of honey and walnuts. If you want to know more about this, Professor Vryonis has a number of books you can read on Turkey and Greece, and Perry also has a few books on the history of food.

Although I have watched/helped my mother and aunt make baklava, I have never made it entirely on my own. I immediately asked my mom and aunt for their recipes, and any tips/tricks they might have. I then enlisted my best friend as sous chef, who coincidentally also wanted to learn how to make baklava, and set off to bake.

Before proceeding with the recipe, I thought I would share some of the tips/tricks I was taught, and some I learned along the way. 

Vasilopita, or New Year's Cake, or Saint Basil's cake

I have always equated New Year's Eve with the opportunity to find the Φλουρί (coin) in the Vasilopita. For those who aren’t of Greek decent, a Vasilopita—literally, the pie of Saint Basil—is a special cake we make only for New Year's Eve. The Vasilopita can take the form of a bread or a cake (I prefer the latter), and always contains a foil-wrapped coin. The person who finds the coin in their piece, is said to be blessed with good luck for a year—you are then supposed to keep the coin in a safe place for the entire year.

I’m not all too familiar with the actual historical background of Saint Basil, or why/how the Vasilopita came to be, so I won’t pretend to know for your sake. If you are interested in the story I’m sure Google with have the answers.

For years my family has always bought the Vasilopita bread, which as I said before, I’m not too fond of. So for this year, I decided to make my own Vasilopita cake. Although there are plenty of recipes online for the Vasilopita —and I even asked friends and family for their own recipes—I wasn’t too happy with any of them. As a result, I came up with my own—inspired by at least 6 different recipes.

Just a few quick notes on the actual recipe: I decided to use self-rising flour instead of plain flour + baking soda + baking powder, just because it is easier, and I had plenty lying around. I also used yoghurt (or you can use sour cream), because I like how moist it makes the consistency of cakes (I learned this the hard way, back when I was testing out cupcakes/muffins recipes). A few recipes also had the addition of Brandy, but since I didn’t have any—and I definitely wasn’t going to go out to buy some—I decided to exclude it. I also separated the eggs and whipped the egg whites, to make my cake fluffier/lighter. Lastly, Orange zest and Orange juice are staples in Greek baking, so there’s that.