Makes about 80 pieces of 1-squared inch diamond shape
| Ingredients | Amount | Notes |
| Almonds | 3 1/2 Cups | Ground |
| Phyllo | 1 Pack | 1 Pound, 16 sheets. 32 sheets when cut in 1/2 |
| Cardamon | 1 TBSP | Ground |
| Butter | 1 Cup | Melted for greasing |
| Pistachios | 1/4 Cup | chopped in 2-3 mm size |
1 – Defrost frozen Phyllo over night in the refrigerator.
2 – Grease a rectangular 13-by-9-inch baking pan, cut one parchment paper and lay it over the bottom and brush it with butter. To remove the baklava with ease, the paper should cover both sides of the pan as shown in the image below.
3 – Open the defrosted phyllo package, unroll the sheets, and lay them down on a flat working surface (such as countertop).
Mix almond and cardamom in a bowl.
Melt the butter. No salt is needed since the phyllo sheets are salted.
4 – Cut phyllo sheets in 1/2
We build up the baklava with 1/3 of the phyllo sheets in the bottom, one layer of almond filling, 1/3 of Phyllo sheets at the middle, another layer of almond filling, and 1/3 of phyllo on top
5 – Lay 1 phyllo sheet over the bottom of the pan and brush it with butter. Lay on more sheets, brushing each with butter, until you have used 1/3 of the sheets. Spread evenly one half of the almond filling.
6 – Brush one sheet of phyllo with butter and lay it reversely over the first almond filling. This helps phyllo sheet to stick to the almond layer.
7 – Continue to build the baklava layers by repeating steps 5 and 6. Do not brush the most top phyllo sheet. It sticks to your fingers and would prevent you from cutting the baklava properly. Then cut the baklava in your desired form with a sharp knife. Diamond pattern of 1 inch is the traditional shape.
8 – Grease a parchment sheet and lay it reversely over the top to grease the top phyllo sheet. Then put another baking pan with the same size over it to prevent separation of the top phyllo sheets.
9 – Bake in the middle rack of oven preheated to 360 °F (180 °C) for 15 minutes. Remove the extra baking pan and the parchment paper from the top and continue to bake for another 20 minutes or until gold and brown.
10 – Immediately after the baklava is out of oven, pour the warm syrup slowly all over the top and spread the chopped pistachios evenly. Let baklava stand for at least 2 hours. At this stage the syrup should be entirely absorbed by the baklava.
11 – Keep in fridge overnight. The fillings set and flavours have time to blend. Cut and transfer baklava the day after to a serving plate or in an air-tight container for future serve.
Making the syrup
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
| Water | 1, 1/2 Cup | |
| Sugar | 2 Cups | White |
| Honey | 1 Cup | Clear liquid |
| Rose water | 1 TBSP | Double distilled |
In a medium saucepan, combine water, sugar, and honey. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to boil and reduce the heat. Let it boil for 7 to 8 minutes. Keep an eye on boiling syrup as the honey causes the syrup to overflow. Add rosewater and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Recent Comments