Sivrihisar Muska Baklava

Sivrihisar Muska Baklava is a traditional variety of baklava unique to the Sivrihisar district of Eskişehir province, prepared by layering very thin sheets of phyllo dough with walnuts, folding them into a triangular (muska) shape, baking, and then soaking in syrup.

Sivrihisar Muska Baklava belongs to the product group of bakery and pastry items, dough products, and sweets, specifically within the baklava category. It has been officially registered as a “geographical indication” by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office.

^{Sivrihisar Muska Baklava (}Turkish Patent and Trademark Office⁾

Sivrihisar Muska Baklava shares similarities with other types of baklava in terms of ingredients and preparation stages but differs in its shape, structure, appearance, and presentation. It follows a recipe passed down through generations. Very thin sheets of phyllo are layered with walnuts, folded into a triangular shape, baked, and then soaked with syrup at room temperature. The syrup is also applied at room temperature. It can be consumed either with or without syrup.

The materials and production steps required for Sivrihisar Muska Baklava are detailed below:

• For Dough: A soft dough made from special-purpose pastry and börek flour (ash content: maximum 0.65%, protein: minimum 11%), olive oil, full-fat yogurt, egg, water, sugar (white sugar as defined in the TFC Sugar Regulation), and salt.
• For Rolling Out Dough: Special-purpose pastry and börek flour (ash content: maximum 0.65%, protein: minimum 11%).
• Filling (Walnuts): Thin-shelled walnuts.
• For Greasing Before Baking: Butter.
• For Syrup: Sugar, water, and lemon.

1. A soft dough is prepared using special-purpose pastry and börek flour. During preparation, 250 grams of sifted flour plus an additional 100 grams, three medium-sized eggs (53–62 grams), olive oil (85 grams), yogurt (100 grams), water (100 grams), and salt (10 grams) are mixed together. The dough is prepared to a soft consistency that does not stick to the hands. All ingredients except 100 grams of flour are mixed at once. Once the mixture becomes homogeneous, the remaining 100 grams of flour is gradually added to prevent sticking.
2. The prepared dough is divided into ten portions (each weighing 80–90 grams), dusted with flour, arranged on a tray, covered with a linen cloth, and rested for eight hours in a cool environment (15 °C).
3. Each rested dough portion is rolled out individually with a rolling pin into circular sheets 90 cm in diameter and 0.05 mm thick, using approximately 500 grams of flour per sheet. Each rolled sheet is laid out separately to prevent sticking.
4. After all ten sheets have been rolled, they are stacked on top of each other, cut in half along the diameter to form semicircles, and restacked to create a total of twenty layers.
5. The twenty-layered dough is cut into 4 cm square pieces. A walnut kernel is placed in the center of each square, and the dough is folded without pressing to form an equilateral triangle.
6. The walnut-filled triangular dough pieces are arranged neatly on a baking tray so that their long sides (the folded backs) touch each other closely.
7. After all pieces are arranged on the tray, melted warm butter is brushed over each piece.
8. The buttered triangular dough pieces are baked in a preheated oven at 175 °C for 30 minutes, then left to cool at room temperature.
9. Room-temperature syrup is poured over the baked baklava, which is also at room temperature.

Walnuts (Filling): 150 grams of thin-shelled walnuts are finely chopped with a knife, but not ground to a paste. The walnut content in the finished baklava must be at least 15%.

Butter (for Baking): 500 grams of butter is melted.

Syrup: 540 grams of water and 680 grams of sugar are boiled. During the last five minutes of the approximately 30-minute boiling process, 5 grams of lemon juice is added. The syrup is then removed from heat and cooled to room temperature.

The application for geographical indication registration of Sivrihisar Muska Baklava was submitted by the Sivrihisar Municipality. The application, numbered C2017/022, was filed on 12 April 2017. Following the evaluation process, the product was officially registered as a “geographical indication” on 5 September 2018 under registration number 381. The registrant’s address is recorded as Republic Neighborhood, Süleyman Demirel Street No:1, Sivrihisar / Eskişehir.