Pistachio Baklava Fingers with pre-made Fillo Dough
Baklava dates since 2nd Century BCE. That is old, right? Well it is kinda sad how Albania got this recipe. Let me go back to Ottoman Empire. The sultan used to present trays of baklava to the Janissaries every 15th of Ramadan Month.
Ingredients
Simple Syrup
- 2 cups Water
- 2 1/2 cups Sugar
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
Baklava
- 20 sheets Fillo Dough
- 2 cups Butter
- 350 gr Pealed Pistachios
Instructions
Preparing Simple Syrup
- The simple syrup is the easiest thing on this recipe. Put the water to boil in a hot pan and add the sugar. When you melt the sugar, add some lemon juice to keep the syrup fresh.
Preparing Baklava
- Take one sheet of fillo dough and put it on a flat surface. Use the brush to spread butter thoroughly. Repeat the same process until you have four layered sheets of fillo dough with butter. Remember, each of the sheets must have butter. Take some of the crashed pistachios and put them as in the picture.
- I remember when I was a kid, I used to take a A4 paper and roll it out in a cylinder shape. You will do exactly the same thing with the sheets above. Roll them out in a cylinder shape and put them in the baking pan. Make sure to put some butter on the baking pan too so that it doesn’t stick.
- Repeat the same process again. If you are using the dough in the picture, you will end up with 5 rolls. Cut the rolls in a desired size. I would suggest to cut each of them in 7 pieces.
- When baklava is ready to be baked, use the brush to add the leftover butter to the rolls. Preheat the oven at 380F(190C) and bake it for approximately 20-25 mins. The Baklava is done when you see the rolls dividing from each other.
Finalizing Baklava
- You can keep baked baklava stored for up to one week. One day before you are ready to eat it, add the simple syrup on top of it. You have two possible ways: If you want to go light on the syrup, use a brush just to sprinkle some drops of it. But if you want to follow the original recipe from Turkey, you should add all the simple syrup on top, until you cover the baklava.