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Baklava Cinnamon Rolls

Fluffy, soft and gooey cinnamon rolls filled with chopped nuts, topped with crispy and golden filo pastry, drowned in a spices honey syrup and finished with a cream cheese frosting. The only sweet treat recipe to make this Ramadan.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Iftar, Spices, Suhoor, Sweet tooth, Syrup
Cuisine American, Greek, Lebanese, levantine, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Servings 12 rolls

Equipment

  • Mixing bowls
  • Rubber spatula
  • Whisk
  • Baking tray
  • Baking paper
  • Rolling Pin
  • Pizza cutter/sharp knife
  • 4/5 inch cookie cutter or glass

Ingredients
  

Dough -

  • 1 and 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp instant yeast
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 5 cups all purpose flour + 1/2 cup more for rolling
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup melted butter

Filling -

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 4 tbsp cinnamon sugar
  • 1 cup chopped assorted nuts pistachios, almonds, walnuts

Filo pastry -

  • 4 sheet filo pastry
  • 4 tbsp melted butter

Spiced syrup -

  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 cardamom pods

Frosting -

  • 1 cup cream cheese
  • 4 tbsp whipping cream
  • 4 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Pour the warm milk into a mixing bowl, add the yeast and brown sugar. Stir to combine and allow it to foam up, around 5-10 mins. Set aside.
  • Once frothy add the yogurt and stir well. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and melted butter. Stir until you have a sticky dough.
  • Cover and let it rise for 60 minutes or until doubled in volume.
  • In another bowl let us make the filling by adding the soft butter, brown sugar and cinnamon powder. Stir together until combined and set aside.
  • To make the filo pastry, layer 4 sheets of filo one on top of the other and brush melted butter between each sheet, cut the pastry into rounds using a cookie cutter or glass.
  • Place on a baking tray and bake until golden, around 10 minutes at 180 deg C.
  • Once the dough has doubled in size, liberally flour your clean kitchen counter and roll out the dough with a rolling pin to 9x13inch in height and width approximately.
  • Spread out the cinnamon filling evenly all over the dough. Sprinkle over the chopped nuts and cut the dough into 12 slices using a pizza cutter.
  • Roll each slice onto itself and using a brush dust off any excess flour the dough has picked up while rolling.
  • Transfer to a baking tray. Cover and let the dough rest for 15 minutes, in the mean time preheat the oven to 180 deg C.
  • To make the spiced syrup, boil all the ingredients together until bubbling, reduce the heat and allow it to simmer until the mixture has reduced to almost half.
  • To make the frosting whisk all the ingredients together and set aside.
  • Once the dough is risen, bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and puffed up.
  • Drizzle with the syrup as soon as it is out of the oven. Top with the frosting and place a crispy filo pastry on top of each roll. Top with pistachio powder and rose petals. Serve warm.

Notes

  • Check my pro tips above for all the details you need to keep in mind when baking this recipe