Round Pistachio Baklava
These Round Pistachio Baklava made from filo dough are rich with butter, crunchy, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
Calories per serving: 306kcal
Ingredients
- 8 oz (226.8 g) frozen filo dough, thawed, 1/2 16 oz box
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, 1 stick, melted
- 1 ½ cups (354.88 g) water
- 1 ⅓ cups (266.67 g) sugar
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) rose syrup
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) True Orange, 1 small bag
- 1 cup (123 g) pistachios, shelled and crushed
Instructions
- It is important that you have everything you need BEFORE you begin. Checklist: skewer, baking pan with sides, damp cloth, pastry brush, cutting board.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C)
- Pull one piece of filo dough off the pile and lay it on your board. Cover the rest loosely with the damp cloth.
- Dip your pastry brush in the butter and butter the entire sheet. Fold the sheet over in half and butter that side as well.
- Now, take your skewer, and lay it at the top of the fold. Bring the filo over the skewer and continue rolling the filo with the skewer until all but a 1/2 inch is rolled up.
- Take two fingers of each hand and gently squeeze the filo together on the skewer. Some butter will leak out - that's okay, that's why we're using a cutting board.
- Gently remove the squeezed filo from the skewer, and curl it to make a round circle. Put the circle in the pan, and continue doing this until all the filo is used up. You probably will not use all the sheets as some may stick together or tear too badly to use - just toss those and continue on.
- After all the circles have been made, brush them well with butter, then put the pan or pans into the oven and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the filo is golden brown. Don't let it get too dark as it will continue to cook once it is out of the oven.
- While the filo is baking, make the syrup. Put the sugar, water, rose syrup, and orange powder into a saucepan and boil until all the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally. It should be finished when the pan stops frothing, then take it off the stove and let cool.
- If you have not already crushed your pistachios, do it now. A food chopper does the best job, but if you have a food processor, just pulse them until they are in pieces smaller than a grain of rice, but not powdered. If you don't have a food processor or food chopper, put the nuts in a bag and run a rolling pin over them to crush them. Last resort, chop them with a very sharp knife.
- After the syrup and filo circles have cooled, spoon the syrup over them, about two to three spoonfuls should be enough. Then, spoon the crushed pistachios in the indentation. You can put one more spoonful of syrup over, and then let them sit and absorb the syrup before serving about 30 minutes. You will have leftover syrup, enough to make another batch, or you can save it to flavor beverages like iced tea.
- If you have some nice paper candy or cookie cups, put the baklava in those. It makes for a nice presentation and people don't get their fingers very sticky trying to get one.
- Store any uneaten baklava in a tightly covered container on the counter or your shelves. It does not have to be refrigerated and will last quite a long time because of all the butter and sugar.
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