A wide tray of Ajarian walnut baklava with two pieces on a plate

Yield20 diamond pieces

Serving basis2 pieces per portion; 10 portions

DifficultyAdvanced; patient kneading and very thin hand-rolling are required

Dietary classificationVegetarian; contains wheat/gluten, egg, milk and walnut; not vegan

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The dish

About Ajarian Baklava (აჭარული ბაქლავა)

Ajarian baklava is a celebration pastry built from many very thin sheets of dough, butter and a walnut-sugar filling. In Adjara, the dough is traditionally rolled by hand into dozens of delicate layers, cut into diamonds and soaked with syrup after baking. This home batch keeps that defining method while scaling it to one small pan.

This version uses walnuts, one of the documented regional choices; some households use hazelnuts or a mixture. The nut filling is placed periodically through the stack rather than spread into one thick center. A light butter brushing separates the sheets so their edges bake crisp and flaky.

The process takes time, especially rolling the 40 dough balls into paper-thin sheets. Work with one small piece at a time and keep the rest covered so they stay supple. The baked diamonds are doused with cooled syrup while hot, then left to absorb it and set before serving. This is a measured home rendition; Ajarian baklava also appears in 20-layer versions and family formulas vary.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Ajarian walnut baklava with hand-rolled layers

Dough

250 gall-purpose wheat flour, plus a little of the measured cornstarch for dusting
1large egg, at room temperature
65 mlwarm water, about 35–40°C
2 gfine salt
10 ggranulated sugar
125 gunsalted butter, melted and divided: 25 g for the dough and 100 g for the layers

Walnut filling

125 gwalnut halves
125 ggranulated sugar

Syrup and dusting

100 ggranulated sugar
150 mlwater
20 gcornstarch for dusting the rolling surface and sheets; most is brushed off

Method

Toast and grind the walnuts. Warm a dry pan over medium-low heat. Add the walnut halves and stir for 3–4 minutes, until fragrant but not dark. Cool completely, rub off loose skins and grind the nuts finely. Mix with the filling sugar and set aside.
Make and knead the dough. Dissolve the dough sugar and salt in the warm water. Mix in the egg and 25 g melted butter. Add the flour gradually and knead into a firm, smooth dough. Knead for about 30 minutes, until elastic and small bubbles appear when you inspect a cut surface. Keep it covered and warm while you work.
Divide, rest and roll. Divide the dough into 40 equal balls, about 10 g each, and keep them covered. Rest for 15 minutes. On a lightly dusted surface, roll each ball into a paper-thin sheet that fits the pan. A thin dowel can help stretch the dough. Stack the sheets under a clean towel so they do not dry out.
Prepare the syrup and pan. Simmer 100 g sugar with 150 ml water for 5 minutes, stirring until clear and just lightly syrupy. Take it off the heat and let it cool completely. Heat a conventional oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Brush the pan with a little melted butter.
Build the 40-sheet stack. Lay 8 sheets in the pan, brushing each lightly with melted butter. Sprinkle a thin, even layer of walnut-sugar filling over the eighth sheet. Repeat with 8 more buttered sheets and filling three more times. Finish with the final 8 buttered sheets. Dust excess cornstarch from each sheet as you stack; use any remaining butter on top.
Cut and bake. With a sharp knife, cut through the unbaked stack into 20 diamonds, roughly 4 × 5 cm. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the top is evenly golden and the layers look dry and crisp. The egg-containing pastry must be fully cooked; if checking with a thin probe in the middle, confirm at least 71°C.
Syrup and set. Take the pan from the oven and immediately pour the completely cooled syrup evenly over the hot pastry, pausing to let it absorb. Leave uncovered until cool, then rest at room temperature for at least 60 minutes before lifting out the diamonds.

Serving, storage, and substitutions

Serve two diamonds per person at room temperature. The sweet, buttery pastry pairs well with unsweetened black tea or coffee. The 40-sheet stack and periodic walnut-sugar layers are the defining texture here; keep the pieces small because the syrup makes them rich.

Walnuts are the selected filling in this version. Ajarian sources also document toasted hazelnuts or a walnut-hazelnut mixture; use the same weight if substituting, and note the different tree-nut allergen. Some descriptions of regional sweets mention honey, but this recipe follows the documented cooled sugar-syrup method. Cornstarch is used only to keep rolled sheets from sticking; brush away excess so it does not form a dusty layer.

Cool the syrup-soaked pastry completely before storing it in a covered container. Because the dough contains egg and the syrup leaves the pastry moist, refrigerate it within 2 hours of baking, or within 1 hour if the room is above 32°C/90°F. Store at 4°C/40°F or colder and use within 3–4 days. Bring pieces to room temperature for serving; avoid reheating, which can make the syrup scorch and the pastry lose its crisp edges.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 2 diamond pieces
Calories: About 360 kcal
Carbohydrate: About 44.3 g
Protein: About 5.1 g
Fat: About 19.0 g
Fibre: About 1.5 g
Sodium: About 86 mg

These are provisional estimates for the full stated batch divided into 10 portions. Generic ingredient-composition values were used for all-purpose wheat flour, butter, egg, walnuts, sugar and salt. The 20 g cornstarch is used for dusting and assumed to be mostly brushed away. Actual butter retained, flour enrichment, syrup uptake and piece size can shift the values; a weighed kitchen trial and exact ingredient labels are still needed.

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat/gluten, egg, milk and walnut. For a hazelnut substitution, the tree-nut allergen changes; do not serve to anyone with a relevant allergy. Use a fresh refrigerated egg, wash hands and surfaces after handling raw egg dough, and bake the pastry fully. The egg-containing pastry should reach at least 71°C/160°F at the center if checked with a thermometer. Refrigerate the moist finished pastry within 2 hours (within 1 hour above 32°C/90°F) and keep at 4°C/40°F or below.

Closing

Keep the 40 dough balls covered and roll them paper-thin; add walnut-sugar filling in four narrow layers.
Pour cooled syrup over the pastry straight from the oven and let it absorb before serving.