Thin and crispy gluten and dairy free baklava fingers stuffed with cinnamon spiked walnuts and almonds drenched in honey lemon syrup to finish. No need to pull out the messy deep fryer, these insanely delicious cigars bake beautifully in the oven and will leave your house smelling heavenly. The olive oil pastry is the EASIEST and most versatile gluten and dairy free pastry you will ever make, you can even use it for savoury pastries like spanakopita.
If you’ve cut gluten and dairy from your diet and it’s been years since you’ve eaten flaky baklava this recipe is definitely for you. These baklava fingers taste like a cross between Cypriot lady fingers and Greek baklava. You get the best of both worlds minus the gluten and dairy. Enjoy!
- Olive Oil Pastry
- 1⅔ cup plain gluten free flour*
- pinch of sea salt flakes
- 1 egg
- 1 tbs light olive oil
- 120ml warm water
- Honey Lemon Syrup
- ⅓ cup caster sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ cup water
- juice of 1 small lemon
- strip of lemon rind
- 3 - 4 cloves
- cinnamon stick
- Nut Filling
- ½ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup almonds
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- Extra light olive oil for brushing
- * I used Ardor plain gluten free flour
- Combine all pastry ingredients in a bowl and knead to form a smooth ball of dough. Cover bowl and rest dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat a fan forced oven to 200C and line a baking tray.
- Combine all syrup ingredients in a small saucepan over low - med heat. Simmer for 5 minutes until syrup thickens. Set aside to cool.
- Crush nuts to a coarse meal using either a mortar and pestle or food processor. Add cinnamon and sugar and stir to combine.
- Divide pastry into 3 balls so it is easier to manage. Roll each ball between two sheets of baking paper until the pastry is paper thin. Slice pastry into a 12cm squares and brush the edges with olive oil. Place 2 tsp of the nut filling in a strip along one edge. Roll pastry into a cigar and seal each end of the cigar by gently pressing the ends with a fork. Transfer baklava fingers to the baking tray and brush with olive oil.
- Bake for 20 minutes until pastry is golden. Remove tray from the oven and immediately dunk hot fingers in syrup using tongs. Return syrup soaked fingers to the baking tray. Drizzle any remaining syrup over fingers and sprinkle fingers with remaining nut filling and extra cinnamon if desired.
Is there a substitute for the egg in this recipe? I am allergic.
Thanks
Tassie just leave the egg out. It helps make the dough more pliable. The dough will be a little more brittle without the egg but it is still doable.
Would it help if I used egg replacer or an egg substitute like a flax egg?
Try it with our first and see how you go.
Hello, thank you Helen for this recipe.
If one is time poor can u recommend a store bought version?
Thank you
Nadia Costa
Nadia I have not found a store bought version I like unfortunately. If you find one let me know!