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Slice of Turkish flour halva on a plate with a fork.
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5 from 13 votes

Turkish Flour Halva Recipe

You can easily stop your sweet cravings with this Turkish Halva recipe that requires simple ingredients.
Prep Time2 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Turkish
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 361kcal
Author: Meymi

Ingredients

  • 210 g (1 and ½ cups) all-purpose flour, dip and sweep
  • 125 g (½ cup and 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
  • 130 g (½ cup and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 95 g/ml (⅓ cup and 1 tablespoon) water
  • 1 slice of (½ cup) bread, crust is removed and the bread is torn into small pieces

Instructions

  • Place the sugar and water in a medium pan over medium heat. Once sugar is dissolved, remove the pan from the heat. Set aside the pan to cool.
  • Remove the crust of the bread and tear the bread into small pieces around 0.20 inch(5mm) with your hands.
  • Put the butter in a medium pan over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon.  As the flour and butter are homogenized, add the bread pieces and continue to stir. You'll need to stir continuously to avoid burning the mixture. It takes around 18 minutes to toast the flour. *
  • Once the mixture is golden brown, change the heat to low and add the water-sugar syrup. When you add it, the mixture will bubble. Carefully stir the mixture until it looks uniform. This step takes a maximum of 30 seconds.
  • Place the mixture on to the serving plate and spread with a spoon. You can eat as it is or make a design on top. You can make the design as in the pictures; using the edge of a spoon, starting from the middle, gently press to the halva to make a sign.  Then make the same sign to the sides. Next, turn the plate and make the same sign into the empty middle parts. Enjoy!

Notes

I use 1 and ½ recipe in the pictures but I decided to share 1 recipe in the recipe card as you may prefer to try in less amount if it is your first time trying halva.
*You should continuously stir the mixture to avoid burning.  If you want to give a little break, remove the pan from the heat and slowly stir. You still need to stir because the heat of the pan can burn the mixture but you can work in slow motion for some time.  In order to understand if you toast the flour enough, you can check it before adding the syrup; you can take almost a teaspoon from the flour mixture and add to the syrup.  If it sizzles, it means your flour is toasted enough and it is the right time to add the syrup.
How to Store: It is best when served warm. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1-2 days.  Although it won't be as same as warm, I even enjoy eating the halva straight from the fridge.
The calorie information above is an estimate that is provided by an online nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Serving: 6people | Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 521IU | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 2mg