Cold Baklava | Gaziantep-Style Milk and Pistachio Baklava

Brush a greased baking pan with butter and layer half the phyllo sheets, brushing butter between each sheet. Spread all the pistachios evenly, then layer the remaining sheets the same way. Pull the top sheet taut and tuck the edges inward.

With a sharp knife, cut lengthwise and then diagonally to make diamond-shaped pieces, pressing the blade to the bottom of the pan each time. Drizzle the remaining clarified butter into the cuts. Cutting before baking is essential; the layers separate when you cut the baked pastry.

Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C / 355°F, on the lower rack for 25 minutes and then the middle rack for 20 minutes. It is done when the cuts have opened, the layers are visibly distinct, and the top is copper-colored.

Bring the milk and sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Ladle the milk over the hot pan as soon as it comes out of the oven, waiting 20 seconds after each ladleful to let it absorb. Stop when milk begins to pool on the surface and set the rest aside; after 10 minutes, the pan may absorb another ladleful.