It's not that easy to get filo pastry in my city, so when I saw it in the freezer shelf I took it and put in my basket without really knowing the real recipe to make baklava, I just knew that making baklava requires filo pastry and pistachios.
So finally this weekend I tried to make it after searching for the recipes in youtube.
I find it not too hard nor complicated to make this dish, just have to work fast and make sure the filo pastry is covered with damp towels to avoid it getting dry and flakey.
Since the filo pastry I found is not the big sheets one and each box consist of 13 sheets (but I got 15 in mine), I just used a small pan (well I used pyrex instead of pan since I don't have it) around 8x8 inches.
The box said it took 4 hours to defrost, but it only took 2 hours for me (probably because of the tropical hot weather)
Ingredients :
- 1 box of Filo pastry
- 125 gr Almond meal
- 260 gr (2 packs of 130 gr) Pistachios snacks, peel the hard skin
- 135 gr unsalted butter
For the sugar syrup :
- 1 cup water
- 2 cup sugar (or you can substitute with 3/4 cup sugar and 200 gr honey)
- juice of 1 lemon
How to make :
1. Defrost the filo pastry (follow the box direction)
2. Start making sugar syrup, by boiling the water and sugar till it boils, add the lemon juice, then simmer in low heat for 20 minutes, after that turn it off and let it cool down. (avoid stiring the syrup)
3. Melt butter
4. Chop pistachios in medium chunks, set aside in a bowl
5. Add 3 tbsp of the cooled sugar syrup and 2 tbsp melted butter to the chopped pistachios
6. Add 3 tbsp of the cooled sugar syrup and 2 tbsp melted butter to the almond meal
7. Preheat oven in 180 C
8. Spread melted butter inside the pan
9. Cut Filo pastry to follow the below part of your baking pan (I used a pizza cutter), I got 30 sheets with the same size and another 30 sheets in a much smaller size. Set aside the best 14 sheets for top layer and cover all filo dough under a clean damp towel.
10. Start layering filo pastry:
- for the bottom part : 10 of the worst looking sheets : 2 sheets - butter the top layer, add another 2 sheets - butter the top layer again, continue until it adds to 10 sheets.
- Crumple the other worst looking sheet (including the small ones) and fill in your pan - butter the top layer
- add 2 sheets on top - butter the top layer
- add the almond meal evenly - butter the top layer
- add 2 sheets on top - butter the top layer
- add the chopped pistachios - butter the top layer
- start layering 10 of the best looking sheets : 2 sheets - butter the top layer, add another 2 sheets - butter the top layer again, continue until it adds to 10 sheets, but don't butter the top yet
- Cut in the way you prefer, I cut mine 2x2 inch and then cut diagonally in the middle to make triangle, make sure you use a sharp knife to do this.
- Butter the top layer
11. Put pan in the oven for around 45 minutes until the pastry becomes golden yellow color.
12. When it's done, pour the sugar syrup into baklava. It would be better if you can pour it along the crease, not just on all of the pastry to make it still crispy.
13 Set aside for a couple of hours, or longer would be even better in open air.
I really love it, I had it about 10 years ago when a relative brought it for us from OZ and haven't found it in my city until now I made them myself :)
Loved it, but be aware that this is not diet food at all!!! Full of butter, sugar, and Yummyness!!! :)
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