To create gluten-free baklava, you must substitute the traditional phyllo dough with specialized GF puff pastry sheets or thin rice flour crepe wrappers, ensuring that these replacements are layered carefully with nuts and soaked in a simple syrup made from honey.
Phyllo Substitutes
The heart of authentic baklava lies in its signature flaky structure, and since this is traditionally achieved using phyllo dough—which contains wheat—finding a truly perfect gluten-free substitute is the biggest hurdle for any ambitious baker. While dedicated commercial products exist, they rarely replicate the delicate shattering crispness of genuine filo. When sourcing ingredients, do not assume that any commercially available puff pastry will work; you need sheets that are thin enough to layer without creating an overly thick crust.
For a genuinely reliable bake, many bakers find success using specialized gluten-free puff pastry intended for tarts or pies, but this approach requires significant finesse. The trade-off here is time and handling: commercial GF puff pastries tend to be sturdier than phyllo, meaning they are less forgiving when brushing them with melted butter.