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Forget familiar filo-pastry baklava; with three layers of short-crust pastry interspersed with meringue, the only thing this version has in common with the former is the walnuts. This is also what makes this recipe so appealing—you can make the dough at home and it bakes up to be a sturdy pastry with walnuts and meringue melding together for a chewy filling surrounded by flaky crust. This style of baklava comes from the southern corner of Armenia around Goris, and Anahit Badalyan, who also prepared many dishes for us using Goris’s famous beans (see page 114), showed us how to make it.
Before you start, separate three eggs, allocating two yolks for the dough, one yolk for the egg wash, and all of the egg whites for the filling. For baking the baklava, a glass 9 by 13 in [23 by 33 cm] casserole dish works well (jelly-roll pans and quarter-sheet pans are too shallow). While the beaten egg whites are described as meringue in the method, it isn’t intended to bake up like meringue—rather, it nearly dissolves into the walnuts, sweetening the pastry. Drizzling honey at the end gives a final sweet accent to a pastry that isn’t overly sweet to begin with.
Makes about twenty-four 2 in [5 cm] pieces
23/4 cups [370 g] all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp [185 g] cold unsalted butter, cubed
3/4 cup [180 g] plain, whole-milk yogurt
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
FILLING
2 heaping cups [220 g] walnuts
3 large egg whites
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
11/3 cups [265 g] granulated sugar
TOPPING
1 large egg yolk
2 Tbsp honey
To make the dough, in a large bowl, add the flour and butter. Using the palms of your hands and your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until the pieces are no larger than a chickpea.
In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, egg yolks, salt, and baking soda together with a fork.
Make a deep well in the center of the flour and pour in the yogurt mixture. Using a fork, mix the flour into the yogurt to form a shaggy dough. With the palm of your hand, press the dough into the base of the bowl, then fold it and press it again into the base of the bowl. Repeat a couple of times until the dough starts to come together.
Dust the counter with flour and place the dough on top. Pat it flat and fold it over itself, repeating a couple of times until nearly smooth. The dough should feel soft and pliable. If it feels very dry, sprinkle a few drops of water over it with your hands and let it rest for a few minutes before kneading again.
Cut the dough into three equal pieces. Pull off a golf ball–size piece from one and add it to another so you have a small, medium, and large portion. Dust the counter with more flour, place the portions side by side on top of the flour, and use your hands to shape each portion into a rectangle (this makes rolling them into a rectangle easier). Place a clean kitchen towel over the dough pieces and let them rest while making the filling. (If your kitchen is hot and the dough feels sticky, refrigerate it for 30 minutes to make it easier to handle.)
To make the filling, place the walnuts on a cutting board and place a sheet of parchment paper on top. Roll and press a rolling pin over the paper, rocking it back and forth, to break the walnuts into smaller pieces. Remove the paper and chop the larger pieces with a knife. (It’s okay if the sizes are not uniform.)
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a handheld mixer, whip the egg whites until frothy, about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and sugar and whip on medium-high speed until the meringue forms ribbons when it drips off the whisk, 2 to 3 minutes.
To assemble and bake, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF [180ºC]. Lightly coat a 9 by 13 in [23 by 33 cm] casserole pan with butter and line with parchment paper.
Dust the counter with flour. Roll out the medium-size piece of dough until it’s large enough to cover the base of the prepared pan. Lift the dough into the pan and press it into the corners, trimming any excess dough along the edges to help it fit.
Spread half of the meringue across the dough in the pan in an even layer, ensuring that it reaches the corners, and isn’t mounded in the center (this will ensure the meringue doesn’t puff up too much in the middle more than the sides). Cover the meringue with half of the walnuts and press the walnuts lightly into the meringue. Roll out the smallest piece of dough into a rectangle large enough to cover the first layer. Lift it into the pan and press down lightly, trimming away any excess dough. Spread the remaining meringue over the top, ensuring it reaches the corners and isn’t mounded in the center, followed by the remaining walnuts. Roll out the largest layer of dough into a rectangle large enough to cover the top (it will be a little thicker than the other two). Place it on top of the walnut layer and trim away any excess dough on the edges. Refrigerate the baklava for 20 to 30 minutes (this will make it easier to cut).
With a sharp knife pointed at a near 90-degree angle following the length of the pan, cut the baklava lengthwise into four strips, wiping the blade of the knife in between cuts and ensuring that the cuts go through all of the layers. Then cut the dough at a diagonal across the pan at 2 in [5 cm] intervals to create diamonds. You will end up with about 24 diamond-shaped pieces and some smaller pieces at the ends.
For the topping, break up the remaining yolk with a fork and gently brush it over the surface of the baklava.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, or until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and run a knife through the cuts to keep the pieces from sticking together. Drizzle the honey over the top and return to the oven for 8 to 10 minutes to ensure the center of the pan cooks through. Cool completely before serving. Baklava keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
