Best and Easiest Baklava Recipe

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees (340F) on upper and lower heat without fan. 
2. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat stirring until sugar dissolves. Make sure that the sugar melts completely before water starts to boil. Otherwise, sugar might be crystallized after syrup cools down.
3. When it boils, lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10-11 minutes.
4. The syrup is ready, add a few drops of lemon and set aside to cool at room temperature. 
5. To make the baklava, melt the butter on low heat in a saucepan without stirring to have clarified butter. After butter melted, remove from heat, and take out the foam that is formed on top of the butter. This is the milk part of the butter which will reduce the crunchiness of baklava and will get caramelized in the oven and leave small brown dots.
6. Then slowly pour the clear butter in a small bowl and leave the milk part in the saucepan if there is any.
7. Before starting it is better to sharpen your knife because you are going to need a sharp knife to cut the baklava.
8. Place a phyllo sheet on your work surface and trim the phyllo according to your round tray’s bottom (around 30 cm/ 12 in). Cut the trimmed pieces into small pieces.
9. Butter your tray and place three round shaped sheets and brush with the butter.
10. After three round-shaped layers place the scraps as three layers and butter again.
11. Then continue with one round-shaped sheet and 2 layers of scraps and butter.
12. After using 10 of round-shaped sheets, it is time for pistachio!
13. Place the pistachios on top of the sheets and leave some space from the edges.
14. Then continue layering the sheets with the same order. For the top part make sure that you are using more round-shaped sheets to make baklava more beautiful (that is why we used more scraps than round ones for the bottom part). 
15. After all phyllo dough is finished tuck the layers with the back of a knife or a wooden knife.
16. Using a sharp knife, cut the baklava into 12 slices like you are cutting pizza.
17. After cutting, squeeze the slices from the sides with two fingers to give the perfect baklava shape.
18. Brush all the remaining butter on top of the baklava, especially the edges and centre.
19. Bake for about 25-30 minutes in total. First, place the baklava on the middle rack of your oven for 10 minutes. Then, transfer it to the bottom of the oven for 8 minutes. Finally, again the middle rack until it is golden.
20. Take out from the oven and pour over the syrup.
21. Let it cool down and soak all the syrup for about one hour at room temperature.
22. It is ready to eat and enjoy and try -at least- one slice with ice cream. Bon a petit or afiyet olsun as we say in Turkish.