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At Zulya Kazimova's bakery in Baku, pakhlava—the Azeri version of baklava, which she cuts into a diamond shape—is made using 14 layers of a dense yeasted dough rolled out so thinly and painstakingly that it becomes translucent. For home cooks, prepared phyllo dough produces a wonderfully crisp, lighter, and flakier version. To defrost frozen phyllo quickly, set it in a microwave (still wrapped in its plastic packaging) on the defrost setting for about 30 seconds, then rotate the package and repeat.
The World's Last Great Undiscovered Cuisine , Anya von Bremzen
The wild, futuristic architecture of Baku, Azerbaijan—seen here at Zaha Hadid’s Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center—is just one reason why this city is ripe for exploration.
Ingredients
For the syrup
- 2 cups sugar
- 1⁄2 tsp. saffron
For the filling and dough
- 2 1⁄4 cups whole almonds, plus more whole or blanched almonds for decorating
- 1 tbsp. plus 1/2 tsp. whole cardamom pods
- 1 1⁄4 cups sugar
- 1 cup melted clarified butter
- One 16-oz. box phyllo dough, thawed overnight in the fridge, sheets cut in half to fit a 9x13-inch baking dish
Instructions
Step 1
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Step 5
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