Dessert Eastern Mediterranean
Orange-scented pistachio baklava
Vegetarian
Editorially prepared
A small batch of baklava with thin layers of buttered filo, pistachios and orange-scented honey syrup. Make it the day before and cut it into 25 little pieces. Set aside four pieces for the party, approximately 20–25 g each.
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Ingredients
24 servings · metric units
The recipe makes 25 small pieces; one serving means one piece. Set aside four pieces for a party of four and store the rest. When scaling, adjust the tin area in proportion to the ingredients, keeping a similar pastry depth. Do not scale down the baking or resting time proportionally. A batch of just four pieces is impractical to assemble.
Substitutions
Substitute amounts are adjusted to your selected servings.
- Instead of food-grade orange extractfinely grated orange zest
If you cannot find extract, add finely grated coloured zest from a thoroughly washed orange to the cooked syrup. Start with a small pinch and add more after tasting the cooled syrup. The flavour will be gentler and fresher, with tiny flecks of zest remaining in the syrup. Avoid the bitter white pith.
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You’ll need
Metal baking tin measuring approximately 16 × 16 cm internally, without a loose base · Oven · Two small saucepans and two hob rings · Kitchen scales, measuring jug and teaspoon · Chopping board and sharp knife · Mixing bowl and a wide heatproof bowl for the syrup · Pastry brush · Clean tea towel and baking parchment for covering the filo · Cooling rack · Small serving platter and serving spatula
Method
0/11 stepsPrepare the pistachios
Weigh the ingredients. Finely chop the filling pistachios without turning them into a paste, then mix with the sugar allocated to the filling. Separately finely chop the topping pistachios and keep them in a covered container until the following day.
Prepare the pistachios Cook the syrup
Combine the water, syrup sugar and honey in a small saucepan. Heat over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves; allow about 5 minutes to bring it to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 12 minutes, timed from the start of a gentle simmer. Meanwhile, melt the butter and prepare the filo in the following steps. Check the syrup near the end: it should lightly coat a spoon but still run freely, without darkening. If it thickens noticeably sooner, remove it from the heat; if it remains watery, simmer a little longer, checking every minute.
12:00Cook the syrup Melt the butter and heat the oven
While the syrup simmers gently, heat the oven to 180°C conventional or 160°C fan. Melt the butter in a second saucepan over a low heat, stirring for about 3–4 minutes until no solid pieces remain. Do not brown it. Remove from the heat and keep it liquid for brushing.
Melt the butter and heat the oven Fit the filo to the tin
Brush the base and sides of the tin with a little of the melted butter; reserve the rest for the filo layers. Unroll the pastry and fit it to the tin. Use trimmed pieces inside, placing them side by side with a slight overlap rather than thick folds. Divide the prepared sheets into three roughly equal stacks, saving the neatest sheets for the top. Cover the filo with baking parchment and a slightly damp tea towel so the wet fabric does not touch the pastry. Finish this stage before the final syrup check.
Fit the filo to the tin Flavour and cool the syrup
Once the syrup has the right pourable consistency, remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and orange extract, then transfer to a wide heatproof bowl. Leave for about 40 minutes from transferring, until it reaches room temperature. Meanwhile, assemble the baklava and start baking it. Check the syrup again before pouring; if it is still warm, cool the bowl in cold water without letting any water into the syrup.
40:00Flavour and cool the syrup Build the layers
While the syrup cools, lay the first stack of filo in the tin, brushing each layer thinly with the reserved butter. Scatter over half the pistachio filling evenly. Cover with the second stack of filo, again buttering each layer, then add the remaining filling. Add the third stack of filo, buttering every layer. Distribute the butter so there is enough to brush the top thoroughly too. The filling should form two even layers reaching the edges. Allow about 20 minutes to work steadily, keeping unused filo covered.
Build the layers Mark out small squares
Use a sharp knife to divide the pastry into five equal strips in each direction, making 25 squares. Cut slowly with downward movements rather than dragging the delicate top. Cut through the upper and middle layers as deeply as practical; finish cutting down to the base after resting. Check that the oven has reached the set temperature.
Mark out small squares Bake until golden
Place the tin on the middle shelf of the preheated oven. Bake for about 40–50 minutes from putting it in; allow 45 minutes for planning. Check the colour after about 25 minutes. If the top is darkening too quickly, cover it loosely with foil. The finished baklava should have a clearly golden, dry, crisp top, with no raw-looking layers visible at the edges. If it is still pale or soft, continue baking and check every 5 minutes. The syrup stays out of the oven and continues cooling.
45:00Bake until golden Soak the hot baklava
Check that the syrup is cool and still pourable. Remove the baked baklava, set the tin on a cooling rack and immediately pour all the syrup slowly over the hot pastry. Distribute it evenly over the surface and along the cuts without pressing down the top. The syrup will begin to seep between the layers; do not discard any that initially collects at the bottom.
Soak the hot baklava Leave overnight
Leave the baklava in its tin overnight, for about 12 hours from adding the syrup, in a cool, dry place. Leave it uncovered at first. After about 2 hours, check the centre and the underside of the tin: once the pastry has cooled completely, cover it loosely. If it is still warm, wait before covering. By morning, the layers should hold together and most of the syrup should be absorbed. If plenty of syrup still pools along the cuts, leave it for another 1–2 hours before lifting out.
Leave overnight Serve four small pieces
Finish cutting down to the base of the tin along the existing cuts. Sprinkle the pieces with the reserved topping pistachios. Choose four small pieces for the party; for precise portions, weigh them and trim if necessary to approximately 20–25 g each. Lift them onto a small platter with a spatula, without adding syrup from the bottom of the tin. Pack the remaining pieces as described in the storage instructions.
Serve four small pieces
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Tips
- If using frozen filo, defrost the unopened packet overnight in the fridge according to the manufacturer's instructions. Then prepare it for unrolling as directed on the packet. This extra time is not included in the schedule, which starts with pastry ready to use.
- Do not replace filo with puff pastry: it will not produce the same thin, brittle layers. Hide small tears inside the pastry and save the neatest sheets for the top.
- The syrup should be cool and the baklava hot when you pour it over. Pour slowly, especially along the cuts, rather than flooding one spot.
- Do not cover warm baklava tightly. Trapped steam softens the top.
- If serving only four pieces, pack the remainder in small portions after the overnight rest. There is no need to put the whole batch on the table.
Storage
Keep the completely cooled baklava in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Take out the pieces you need about 30 minutes before serving. Baked, syrup-soaked and completely cooled portions can be frozen for up to 2 months, separated with baking parchment. Defrost overnight in the fridge; the filo may be less crisp afterwards.
Timing
Hands-on: 1 hr 6 min · Cooking: 1 hr 2 min · Resting: 12 hr 40 min
The total allows for tasks done in parallel. The individual times can overlap.
