Baklava -traditional Turkish recipe

Baklava.. The name itself makes me drool. This is such a scrumptious dessert which I can eat at any time of the day! Though it may sound and appear to be very scary to make this at home trust me it's lot easier than you think. The recipe calls for very less ingredients and steps. Though it takes a lot of time and elbow grease but it's all worth it when you have a tray full of homemade juicy and flaky baklavas. Yeah it's definitely worth the effort.
I seriously doubt about the easy availability of phyllo or filo dough required to make this recipe. I tried reading about the procedure to make this dough at home it wasn't very easy so I have tried baklava with the store bought dough. I will try to come up with a solution for making it at home or some other alternatives.
This can be made ahead for the party and ot stores well at room temperature for a week and it can be later refrigerated. But I am sure this deliciousness wont stay that long on your counter :D

Here is the you tube link to this recipe
Video tutorial of the recipe

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Pistachios Baklava:


For the crust:
Phyllo sheets                              - 1 box
Melted butter                              - 1 cup

Filling:
Pistachios (coarsely powdered) - 3 cups
Cinnamon                                   - 1 tsp
Sugar                                           -2 tsp

Syrup:
Honey                                          - 1 cup
Sugar                                           - 1 cup
Water                                           - 3/4th cup
Lemon juice                                 - 1tsp

My one cup measures 240ml.

Preparation:

1. Thaw the Phyllo as per package instructions. Typically refrigerate it over night and keep it in room temperature for 2 hours and use it immediately. It tends to get dried up real quick so keep it covered in a plastic wrap and put a damp kitchen towel or paper towel on it all the time. Take one sheet at a time and keep rest of them covered.
2. Preheat oven to 400 F 
3. Melt room temperature butter and keep them handy. 
4. Add sugar,honey, lemon juice and water in a sauce pan and mix until sugar is melted. Lemon juice prevents sugar from crystallizing.
                                              
   
5. Then let it boil for 5 minutes without stirring. Switch off the flame and let the syrup cool down completely.
   
6. Roughly grind pistachios in a food processor or blender.
   
7. In a bowl add pistachios, sugar and cinnamon . Lemon zest can be added for added flavor. I avoided it because we don't prefer lemon in our desserts.
   
8. Take a baking dish and cut the Phyllo sheet to fit into the baking dish.
9. Place one sheet carefully they are very delicate and tend to fall apart easily its okay as it will all come in place once baked.
10. Brush butter on top of the 1st sheet and layer another layer and butter it again and continue this until you have 8 sheets buttering each one.
    
11. Now place the 3/4th cup of filling spread it as evenly as possible.        
12. Place another sheet and butter it down carefully as it will be little difficult because of the filling beneath this layer.
13. Top it with another sheet and butter it down and place another continue this till you have 5 sheets. 
14. Now spread 3/4th filling evenly. 
15. To break down the steps, here goes little math


1. Butter down 8 sheets 
2. Spread 3/4th cup of filling
3. Butter down 5 sheets 
4. Spread 3/4th cup of filling
5. Butter down 5 sheets 
6. Spread 3/4th cup of filling
7. Butter down 8 sheets
8. Butter the top layer.


16. Cut the baklava vertically and then cut them diagonally to get diamond shapes.
    
17. Bake it in the pre-heated oven for 60 mins or until its golden brown.
    
18. When it comes out of the oven pour the cooled syrup immediately. It will sizzle which is what we want. This ensure baklava stays crispy.
    
    
    
    
19. Let it sit for 6 hours or overnight. The layers need time to absorb the syrup.
20. Slice it and serve with chocolate sauce and honey. Enjoy.