Pistachio And Orange Baklava Recipe

Baklava, the classic, flaky, and sticky-sweet dessert made with sheets of phyllo dough, can be made a in variety of ways. Whether you're in Turkey, Greece, or within the Middle East, each culture has their own take on the signature sliceable pastry. Most mainstream recipes that we see today will always have the following components: phyllo dough, nuts, butter, and a sugar syrup.

Melted butter is brushed between sheets to seal the layers of phyllo together. Crushed nuts are sprinkled over the top, whether they're ground pistachios like we'll use in this recipe from developer Alexander Roberts or more traditional walnuts. Once the baklava layering process is complete, it gets scored into diamonds and goes into the oven for 45 minutes. After the bake, a simmered simple syrup (usually containing honey) will be poured over the pastry. Served warm, the sticky and flaky layers of baklava come together to make a comforting dessert like no other.

Flaky layered pastries can be intimidating, but the phyllo dough in this recipe is going to do all the work for you! This delicious dessert can be prepared using less than 10 ingredients. They can all be found in most grocery stores — look for phyllo dough in the freezer aisle.

In addition to phyllo dough, you'll need at least 3 cups of pistachios (roasted and salted are best here), along with 2 sticks of unsalted butter. We'll add some cinnamon for a warm spice note, and use both orange zest and orange blossom water to brighten the sweetness of the baklava. For the simple syrup, we'll use white granulated sugar, honey, and water.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Add the pistachios and cinnamon to a food processor. Pulse until pistachios are finely chopped.

Add 2 sheets of phyllo to the baking dish.

Brush evenly with some of the butter.

Add an even sprinkling of chopped pistachios.

Repeat the layering: 2 sheets of phyllo, then butter, then nuts.

Top with 2 sheets of phyllo and brush with butter.

To create a diamond pattern, first slice 6 columns lengthwise, cutting through the entire pastry.

Cut 10 diagonals across the baklava, again cutting through the pastry.

Bake for 45–50 minutes, until the top is light brown and phyllo is slightly pulling away from edges.

While the baklava bakes, zest and juice the orange into a small pot. Add the sugar, water, honey, and orange blossom water.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Pour the warm syrup over the hot baklava in two additions, allowing the first half of the syrup to soak in before adding the rest.

Slice and serve warm.

Since baklava takes a bit of time to prepare and bake, you may be wondering if it can be made ahead of time. The answer is yes! Not only is it totally fine to make it in advance, but it's actually better as it allows more time for the flavors to meld together and for the phyllo dough to become moist. It can be served the moment it's done or the next day when the flavors are married a bit more. You could technically assemble the baklava up to step 10 and leave it in the fridge until you're ready to bake it. 

 Roberts suggests baking it fully up to 2 days in advance. "There's so much syrup and butter that it really won't be adversely affected," he says. "Taste with intention and note how the flavor changes — or even improves — each day." Leave it wrapped in plastic at room temperature. If you'd like to warm it up again, place it in the oven at 350 F for about 15 minutes.

Phyllo dough is the main ingredient of baklava, but what exactly is it in the first place? Similar to puff pastry, it is sheets and sheets of dough thinly layered together. Puff pastry, however, contains much more butter, making it closer to pie dough. Phyllo sheets are so thin they are basically paper! To create phyllo, an unleavened dough is made with flour, water, and a little oil. It's extremely laborious to create by hand, though, which is why we advise taking the easy route and purchasing a frozen box at the grocery store.

Given phyllo dough's unique nature, there is no substitute when making baklava. Puff pastry could provide a similar result, but you would only want to use 2 sheets of dough and follow the baking instructions listed on the package. "Phyllo is the type of product that's so unique you can't really sub it out for anything else," says Roberts. "Find it at a specialty grocer or order online, if possible. It truly makes or breaks the dish."