Easy Turkish Pistachio Baklava Recipe

Preparing the Syrup

1. Place the water and sugar in a pan and put on medium heat. 
2. Stir it until the sugar dissolves, bring it to a boil, and let it gently boil for 15 to 20 minutes. 
3. Add a few drops of lemon juice, let it simmer for a few more minutes, and then remove the pan from heat. 
4. Let it cool down while layering the filo sheets. 

Building the Baklava

1. Preheat the oven to 175 °C - 350° F.
2. Trim the filo sheets to fit a tray size of 35cm x 24cm (14" x 9.5"). Trim one pack of filo at a time then cover them with a damp towel to keep them from drying out.
3. Mix the melted clarified butter and vegetable oil in a bowl.
4. Place one filo sheet into the pan and drizzle a spoon of the butter mixture over it. You don’t need to brush each layer thoroughly.
5. Repeat the same until you finish the first pack of filo pastry. You should have around 28-30 layers.
6. Spread the pistachio nuts over filo pastry layers and press them down lightly.
7. Trim the other pack of filo pastry sheets and continue the layering and buttering process.
8. When you reach the last sheet pour any remaining butter mixture over the top to finish.
9. Cut the pastry into diamond shapes or squares using a very sharp knife. Make sure you cut all the way through to the bottom layer. You can adjust the size of the pieces to your liking but I usually get about 70 pieces out of one tray when I cut them the size of 4cm (1.5").
10. Place the baklava tray into the hot oven (175° C - 350° F fan oven) and bake for 15 minutes. 
11. Reduce the heat to 160°C - 320° F and bake it for another 45 minutes or until it is golden brown on top. Make sure the bottom layers are cooked through. 
12. Remove the baklava from the oven, let it cool down for 5 minutes and slowly pour the cooled syrup over it. 
13. Let the baklava soak in syrup overnight before serving.