Easy Turkish Pistachio Baklava Recipe
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
1 hr
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Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
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Servings
70 pieces
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Calories
167 kcal
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Cuisine
Mediterranean, Greek, Middle Eastern, Turkish
Easy Turkish Pistachio Baklava Recipe
Description
The recipe begins with preparing a sugar syrup by boiling water, sugar, and a few drops of lemon juice until it thickens and then cooling it to room temperature. Meanwhile, the filo pastry sheets are trimmed to fit a baking tray and kept covered with a damp towel to prevent drying. A butter and oil mixture is prepared for layering the filo sheets. Starting with a single sheet, each layer is drizzled with the butter-oil mixture, creating a stack of about 28 to 30 sheets. Once the first set of filo layers is complete, a generous layer of chopped pistachios is evenly spread and lightly pressed.
The remaining filo sheets will be layered on top, continuing the butter-oil application to create a uniform and buttery texture. The baklava is baked in a preheated oven at 175 °C (350 °F) until golden and crisp. Immediately after baking, the cooled syrup is poured over the hot pastry to soak and sweeten the layers thoroughly. This baklava offers a crisp, flaky texture contrasted with the rich, nutty pistachio filling and sweet, fragrant syrup.
The dessert is best prepared with thawed filo pastry handled carefully to maintain its delicate sheets. Clarified butter helps prevent burning and ensures even browning. The baklava can be portioned after baking, as it becomes very crisp. Leftovers keep well at room temperature, refrigerated, or frozen for extended periods.
Ingredients
For the Syrup
- 1 l water
- 1 kg caster sugar or granulated sugar
- lemon juice (few drops)
For the Baklava
- 2 packs filo pastry (470 grams each)
- 200 g clarified butter (melted)
- 115 ml vegetable oil or sunflower oil
- 400 g pistachio nuts (chopped or blitzed)
Instructions
Preparing the Syrup
- Place the water and sugar in a pan and put on medium heat.
- Stir it until the sugar dissolves, bring it to a boil, and let it gently boil for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add a few drops of lemon juice, let it simmer for a few more minutes, and then remove the pan from heat.
- Let it cool down while layering the filo sheets.
Building the Baklava
- Preheat the oven to 175 °C - 350° F.
- 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.
- Mix the melted clarified butter and vegetable oil in a bowl.
- 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.
- Repeat the same until you finish the first pack of filo pastry. You should have around 28-30 layers.
- Spread the pistachio nuts over filo pastry layers and press them down lightly.
- Trim the other pack of filo pastry sheets and continue the layering and buttering process.
- When you reach the last sheet pour any remaining butter mixture over the top to finish.
- 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").
- Place the baklava tray into the hot oven (175° C - 350° F fan oven) and bake for 15 minutes.
- 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.
- Remove the baklava from the oven, let it cool down for 5 minutes and slowly pour the cooled syrup over it.
- Let the baklava soak in syrup overnight before serving.
Notes
- If using frozen filo pastry, thaw overnight in the fridge and then leave at room temperature for about 30 minutes before use.
- Keep filo sheets covered with a damp towel after opening to prevent drying and handle gently to avoid tearing.
- Make syrup in advance and ensure it is room temperature before pouring over hot baklava to soak properly.
- Use clarified butter to avoid dark burnt spots on the baklava’s surface during baking.
- Chop pistachios finely but avoid turning into powder to retain texture in the filling.
- Portion the baklava before baking as cutting after baking is difficult due to crispness.
- Store leftovers up to 3 days at room temperature, 1 week in the refrigerator, or freeze for up to 5 months.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 70pieces
Amount Per Serving
Calories 167 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 167kcal | 8% |
| Carbohydrates | 23g | 8% |
| Protein | 2g | 4% |
| Fat | 8g | 12% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 7mg | 2% |
| Sodium | 66mg | 3% |
| Potassium | 69mg | 1% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 15g | 30% |
| Vitamin A | 24IU | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 1mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 8mg | 1% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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