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Pistachio Baklava
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Pistachio Baklava

Equipment

  • 9x13 glass baking dish

Ingredients

Simple syrup ingredients

  • ½ cup (186g) honey
  • ½ cup (87g) water
  • ½ cup (87g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp (8g) orange blossom water
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Baklava Ingredients

  • 2 rolls (16oz) of thawed phyllo dough
  • 4 cups (540g) pistachios, ground
  • ½ cup (120g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (48g) orange blossom water
  • 6 sticks (680g) unsalted butter, melted and clarified

Instructions

Thawing phyllo dough

  • Remove the phyllo dough from the freezer before making the simple syrup to allow enough time for the dough to completely thaw and come to room temperature.  This will take approximately 2-3 hours for the dough to thaw completely.  Take the rolls out of the box, but do not open the plastic bags.  Phyllo dough dries out very quickly, so the closed plastic is keeping the dough moist while thawing.

Making simple syrup

  • Place all simple syrup ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat on the stove.  Heat the mixture until the sugar has completely dissolved.  Remove the saucepan from the stove and cool to room temperature.  Remove the cinnamon stick after the syrup has cooled. 

Making the nut filling

  • Place ground pistachios and sugar into a medium bowl and stir to combine. 
  • Next, add the orange blossom water and stir until the pistachio mixture is completely moistened. 

Making the baklava

  • Preheat the oven to 300°F.
  • Remove the thawed phyllo dough from the plastic sleeve and unroll.  Place a damp (not wet) paper towel over the dough to keep it from drying out while assembling the baklava.  Each time you need a phyllo sheet, remove the paper towel, use a sheet of dough, and then immediately return he paper towel.
  • Take one sheet of phyllo dough, place it in a 9×13 baking sheet.
  • Brush the melted butter onto the dough with a pastry brush.  Repeat this process for a total of 8 sheets of phyllo dough and then top the dough with one third of the pistachio mixture. 
  • Repeat the process with 6 more sheets of phyllo dough and another third of the pistachio mixture, then 6 more sheets of phyllo dough and the last third of the pistachio mixture, and finish with the remaining 10 sheets of phyllo dough.
  • Before adding butter to the final layer, gently press the layers to remove large air pockets and then cut the baklava into the desired shape (e.g., squares or diamonds).  Brush the top with butter and place the pan into the oven. 

Baking the baklava

  • Cook the baklava for approximately 1.5 hours or until the dough is golden brown.  Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately pour the room-temperature orange blossom syrup onto the baklava.  Allow the baklava to sit for at least 8 hours before serving for best flavor and texture. 

Notes

Phyllo is sometimes written as "fillo" dough.  It can be found in the freezer section at the grocery store