Baklava

 I bought a packet of phyllo dough during a trip to Brunei last week with Pistachio Baklava in mind as I had been keeping a tin of Iran best quality pistachios given by a friend. I was really craving for the Baklava and cannot describe enough how delicious this homemade creation when I finally got to lay it into my mouth... hehe! I was so impatience that I stole a piece the moment it came out from the oven... then another piece after pouring the syrup.... another piece an hour later and another piece once it had been cooled off with syrup nicely absorbed.... (not to mention few more after that.....hehe)! I gave myself an excuse that it was part of experiencing and tasting at different stage of readiness... The truth is it was damn delicious that I cannot stop myself from going over it again and again.... This time I truly had no guilt feeling....LOL!

Although this is my first attempt in making Baklava, I'm happy that the pastry was baked to perfect crispiness! It was still crispy even after several days and the pistachios filling also getting tastier. The sweetness of the syrup was also tolerable. Overall, I think this is one of the best dessert in my list!

By: Roz@HomeKreation
Yields: 12 pieces / 5"x9" tin
INGREDIENTS:
6 sheets Phyllo Dough (255mmx480mm )
1 cup Pistachios*
¼ cup Almond*
2 tbsp Bread Crumbs* (* grind in food processor)
1 tbsp Castor Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon Powder
½ cup Butter - melted
½ cup Sugar
½ cup Water
¼ cup Honey
½ stick Vanilla Pod / 1 tsp VE
1 tbsp Lemon Juice

METHOD:
1. Mix chopped nuts*, sugar & cinnamon.
2. Cut phyllo dough into 3 equal parts producing 18 pcs to fit the pan.
3. Butter pan/casserole generously.
4. Lay 2 sheets phyllo dough & brush with melted butter.
Repeat until 6 layers of phyllo sheets.
Sprinkle with nut mixture evenly until covered.
Cover with 2 phyllo sheets, brush butter, sprinkle nuts & repeat until used up 6 sheets.
Lay 2 sheets phyllo dough, brush butter & repeat with remaining sheets.
5. Slice 3 x 4 lines all the way to the bottom of the pan.
6. Bake at 170C for 50 minutes.
7. While baking, prepare the sugar syrup.
Boil water & sugar until dissolved.
Add in honey, vanilla, lemon juice & simmer 20 minutes. Cool.
8. As soon as baklava is out from oven, spoon syrup slowly over it. Let it sit and cool until syrup is fully absorbed (at least 4 hours).

Pistachios:

 Almond:

 Chopped nuts:

 Phyllo dough - this is wet type i.e. uncooked, so easier to handle without worry of drying out:

Brushing sheet with melted butter:

Sprinkle nuts evenly to cover:

Slice through:

Fresh from oven:

Poured with syrup:

BAHASA MALAYSIA VERSION
Bukan mudah nak dapatkan Baklava.... eh, takda langsung pun kat Miri ni.... Kalau dah sampai tahap kempunan, meleleh2 air liur teringin, kena lah buat sendiri kan. Sebenar nya tak susah pun nak buat ni cuma bahan2 nya sukar nak dapat. Kebetulan Along pergi Brunei minggu lepas dgn kawan2 & terjumpa kulit filo ni. Kacang pistachio tu pula Along simpan dah lama semenjak dapat ole2 dari Iran sebab memang nak buat baklava dari dulu lagi. Alhamdulillah, tercapai idaman hati.... masyaallah sedap sangat2 buatan sendiri sebab boleh olah ikut selera. Along suka baklava yang tidak terlalu kuat bau rempahnya dan manis nya pun Along adjust supaya tidah manis melampau. Makan panas2 pun sedap.... lepas tu test lagi sejam selepas nak bandingkan rasa nya.... bila dah siap 4 jam kendian, test lagi & makin sedap! Pekena dgn kopi o kaw.... aduh, boleh abis setalam kalau tak control perasaan....kakakaah... Ada lagi Along simpan seketul selepas tiga hari pun baklava ni masih rangup krup... kruppp.... walaaa.... meh buat baklava...hehehe

By: AlongRoz@HomeKreation
Hasil: 12 ketul / Tin 5"x9"
BAHAN2:
6 keping Kulit Filo (255mmx480mm )
1 cwn Pistachios*
¼ cwn Almond*
2 sb Serbuk Roti* (* kisar dlm food processor)
1 sb Gula Kastor
1 st Serbuk Kayu Manis
½ cwn Butter - cairkan
½ cwn Gula
½ cwn Air
¼ cwn Madu
½ btg Vanilla / 1 st Esen Vanilla
1 sb Jus Lemon

CARA2:
1. Gaulakan kacang kisar*, gula & serbuk kayu manis.
2. Potong kulit filo kpd 3 bahagian spy menjadi 18 keping.
3. Sapu tin dgn butter sehingga rata.
4. Hamparkan 2 keping filo ke dalam tin yg di sediakan, sapu butter cair dgn rata.
Ulangi sehingga 6 keping semua nya.
Tabur campuran kekacang sehingga rata.
Tutup dgn 2 keping filo, sapu butter & ulang sehingga 6 keping filo semua nya.
Akhir sekali tutup dgn filo 6 keping, sapu butter setiap 2 lapisan filo.
5. Hiris 3 x 4 jalur seperti dlm foto di atas, sehingga tembus ke bawah.
6. Bakar dgn suhu 170C selama 50 minit.
7. Sediakan sirap sementara baklava di bakar.
Didihkan air & gula sehingga larut.
Masukkan madu, vanilla, jus lemon & renih selama 20 minit. Sejukkan.
8. Sebaik baklava di keluarkan dari oven, siramkan sirap ke atas nya.
Biarkan selama 4 jam supaya sirap meresap sepenuh nya.