Traditional Baklawa

Method

1. Make the Nut Mixture In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, add the pistachios, sugar and cinnamon Pulse a few times to chop. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add blossom water. Mix well to combine.
2. Prepare the Filo Pastry - Carefully unroll the thawed Filo pastry and place the sheets in between two clean kitchen towels. This will help keep the Filo from breaking while you work.
3. To assemble the baklawa, take one sheet of Filo and place it in the pan (for this size pan, I typically fold my Filo sheet in half, and it fits perfectly. You can also do a bit of trimming using a pair of kitchen shears). Brush the top of the Filo sheet with the melted butter.
4. Repeat this process a few more times until you have used up about 1/2 of the phyllo pastry, each layer being brushed with the melted butter.
5. Distribute all of the nut mixture evenly over the top layer of Filo.
6. Continue assembling the baklawa, one sheet of Filo pastry at a time until you finish it all. Again, brush each layer with a bit of the melted butter.
7. Using a good sharp knife, cut the pastry into diamond shaped pieces.
8. Bake: Place the baklawa dish on the middle rack of your heated oven. Bake anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes or until the top of the baklava turns golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
9. Once cooked, pour a good amount of honey while is still hot then enjoy it.