When it comes to making homemade fruit leather, I will confess that I have been totally and completely intimidated. I mean, how does one even accomplish such a task? How does fruit go from actual fruit to … leather?

With that being said, I spent half of my youth chewing fruit roll-ups and consequently trying to rot my teeth, so I knew that this fruit leather had to be mastered. My mom would stock up on different flavors of fruit leather and it would often disappear within the week. When I came across Georgia’s recipe for Homemade Fruit Leather, I just couldn’t resist. It seemed foolproof. And delicious. And so enticing that I immediately bought more strawberries than one should ever need and got to work.

While the entire recipe is a bit time-consuming, it is quite easy. The majority of the time is downtime anyway. You can make this while you sleep!

These are the only ingredients you need: strawberries (or fruit of your choice), a lemon, water and sugar. Yes, it’s that simple!

The first step is to cut the fruit into small pieces. Don’t be concerned about them being uniform in size. Just do a rough chop so we can add them to a saucepan. I ended up with 2 1/2 cups of strawberries.

Make sure you taste test your fruit to see how sweet it is. This will give you a rough idea of how much sugar you need or want to add.

Slice your lemon and grab a bowl for juicing purposes.

Squeeze your lemon to extract the juice. You only need about one tablespoon. Fresh is best!

In a small saucepan, combine the chopped fruit, water and lemon juice. Heat it over medium heat and stir, then cover. Let the fruit stew for a few minutes until the berries begin to break down. I let mine go for about 5–6 minutes.

It should come out looking saucy. Now would be a good time to preheat your oven, so turn it on to 170 degrees F, or the lowest temperature it will go. It should heat up quickly.

Now it’s time to add the pureed fruit to the food processor. You can see that I lack patience judging from the steam rising out of the saucepan. Notice the cookie jar in the back. Sometimes (read: every single day) I get distracted by that (full) jar.

Give the fruit mixture a good whirl. You want it completely blended. Speaking of blended, you can also use a blender if you do not have a food processor. (In Georgia’s blog post, she uses a blender.)

Taste testing time! Try a bit more of the pulp before adding the sugar. I am warning you: this stuff is good to enough to drink. I nearly slurped it all up and had to start over.

Add your sugar. I’m assuming that you could also make this recipe sugar-free if you’d like. I went with the entire 1/4 cup of sugar because I have very sweet teeth. If you have extraordinarily sweet fruit or would like it mild in sweetness, add the sugar one teaspoon at a time, blend, then taste test and go from there. Easy as pie.

Lay some parchment paper on a sheet pan, and give it a very thorough coating of non-stick spray. Don’t miss any spots! You can also brush the paper with vegetable oil. Whatever works for you.

Pour the fruit mixture onto the paper-lined sheet pan. Try not to drool.

Spread it out with a spatula so it is evenly distributed. Then place it in the oven.

Now it’s time to wait! And wait … and wait … and wait. This recipe takes about 12–15 hours total. Don’t fret—I was concerned too! But I am convinced that it is completely worth it now. If you do not have 15 consecutive hours to be at home with the oven on, you can also sit the fruit mixture near a sunny window where it will be warm. I first stuck mine in the oven at 3 pm. I let it go for 7 hours, checking it occasionally. The only downside is that I realized halfway in that I could not use my oven for dinner! Oh well. Pizza it was.

During the “dehydrating” process, I did notice the mixture was getting a bit brittle. I followed Georgia’s instructions and brushed the leather with some water using a pastry brush. It worked like a charm! At 10 pm, I inverted the leather onto another oiled, paper-lined baking sheet. I gave it a good brushing of water since I would not be checking it for 6-7 hours. I also left the oven open a crack to ensure it would not get too warm. Then I went to bed dreaming of homemade strawberry fruit roll-ups. It was like Christmas Eve!

In the morning, the fruit leather looked like this. I love the little seeds.

Using a pizza cutter, I cut it into strips.

Like a kid in a candy store, I couldn’t stop tasting it. It was so delicious. And so easy! I couldn’t believe that I could make fruit leather at home. I rolled it up just like the old school fruit roll-ups.

I sense a new obsession coming on. Since last week, I’ve been envisioning every flavor of fruit leather known to man. I am quite anxious to try peach leather. And how about fig leather? Or mango leather? Kiwi leather? I would love those crunchy little seeds. Or how about this kumquat and tangerine fruit leather by acharlestonkitchen? Could one make a cantaloupe and fresh mint leather? I think we all know what I’m going to be doing for the next 3 months.

 
This is probably one of my favorite recipes to date. It’s delicious and makes for a perfect snack. It’s much healthier than the processed fruit leather since you can determine exactly what goes into it. And it is so much easier than I previously thought. Thanks so much for the recipe, Georgia! (If you don’t know her yet, you should! Visit her blog, Georgia Pellegrini and enjoy all her other wonderful recipes and posts.)

Printable Recipe

Homemade Fruit Leather

by georgiapellegrini on July 23, 2010 in Desserts, Fruit Desserts July 23, 2010 DessertsFruit Desserts

See post on georgiapellegrini’s site!

3.25 Mitt(s) 4 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 15 hrs

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 15

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An easy way to make dried fruit leather at home with any fresh fruit.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Strawberries Or Other Fresh Fruit, Chopped Into Small Pieces
• ¼ cups Water
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• ¼ cups Sugar (optional, Depending On The Sweetness Of Your Fruit)
• 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

Preparation Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 150 -170 degrees F.

2. Place the fruit in a medium saucepan with the water and lemon juice. Simmer on medium heat, mostly covered, until they are very soft and mushy. Stewing the fruit helps it retain its color.

3.Transfer the fruit pulp mixture to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. If it is a fruit with seeds, a food mill will remove the seeds more easily than a food processor and strainer. Taste the fruit at this point, and add the sugar if it is not sweet enough. Keep in mind that as the fruit leather dries, it will concentrate the natural sugars in the fruit and become sweeter on its own. Add a small amount of water to the mixture if necessary so that it has a pourable consistency.

4. Cover a baking sheet with plastic or a silicon baking pad. The temperature of the oven is low enough not to affect the plastic.

5. Spray or brush your baking sheet with the vegetable oil, then spread the fruit puree onto the sheet tray with an offset spatula or knife to 1/8-1/4 inch thickness. Place it in the oven for 6-8 hours. Make sure there is air circulating to prevent scorching. Alternatively place it in the sun for 6-8 hours.

6. Invert the fruit leather onto another baking sheet that has been covered in plastic or silicon baking pad and oiled, and remove the first lining. Place in the oven or sun for another 6-8 hours. If it becomes too brittle at any point, simply brush on water with a pastry brush to rehydrate it.

7. Cool the sheet tray and cut the fruit leather into desired sizes. Dust with corn starch to prevent sticking, cover in plastic and store in a cool place in a sealed container.

 
 
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Jessica Merchant is a personal trainer turned food writer and blogger. Her blog, How Sweet Eats, is where she proclaims her love for all things sweet, all things bacon, and everything else in between. She works her magic in her Pittsburgh kitchen, which she shares with her husband of 2 years.

 
One of my resolutions for New Year was to make more homemade bread. I couldn’t think of a better place to begin than with one of my favorites: fluffy naan.

To be honest, naan has always intimidated me a bit. It is so delicious that I assumed it must be complicated. Luckily, I stumbled upon Prerna’s recipe for Homemade Naan and can say that is has single-handedly changed my life. Long gone are the days that I have to run to the store and purchase naan to satisfy a craving. Now I can make it at home!

Not only that, but I can’t believe how simple it really is. I promise it is even easier than it looks.

I followed Prerna’s recipe exactly, and loved it so much that I also made a second batch with whole wheat pastry flour. It came out great too! Now my only problem is that I can’t stop eating naan with loads of butter. Send help!

Here’s everything you need for the dough: milk, plain yogurt, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, olive oil and either whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour. You probably have all the ingredients in your kitchen! In fact, I think you should head on in there right now and whip some up.

Begin by combining all of your dry ingredients—the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt—into a bowl. Mix them up well.

In a separate bowl, warm the milk (I used the microwave and heated mine for about 25 seconds) with the plain yogurt. I let my yogurt sit out for about 15–20 minutes just to take the chill off. It may look a little funky, but just follow the rules. Prerna knows her stuff.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and slowly add half of the yogurt and milk mixture. Right here is where I fell in love with Prerna’s recipe because of her honest instructions: she does not believe that there is one exact liquid measurement to mix with one exact flour measurement to form the perfect dough. I believe the same! While that theory may take a bit of practice and getting used to, it is nearly foolproof when it comes to this naan. After adding half of the mixture, gradually add a bit more until the dough comes together. I ended up using the entire milk and yogurt mixture with the all-purpose flour. However, I only used about 3/4 of the mixture when using the whole wheat pastry flour.

Mix the dough with a spoon until it comes together. Use a bit of oil to grease your hands and form the dough into a ball. No kneading at this stage!

Now it’s time to let the dough work its magic. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it sit for at least 2 hours. In this time, go do something fun like bake cookies or walk the dog. I took this moment to scrub my kitchen floor, which is very out of character for me. I hope I’m not falling ill.

After the two hours have passed, dust your work space with flour and knead the dough for 2-3 minutes. It should be soft and pliable. Form it into a circle. I actually scored my dough to make it easier to get uniform pieces.

Separate the dough into eight pieces. Sprinkle some flour on your workspace again and flatten each piece of dough. It should still be slightly thick and somewhat elongated.

The time has come to season your naan! You want to season one side with your flavor of choice; I chose garlic and a bit of smoked paprika. But there is a world of possibilities out there. Get creative! In the meantime, brush the opposite side with water.

Heat a skillet on medium heat. I used my dandy, trust old cast iron. I couldn’t live without it. Place your dough water-side down in the skillet. It will stick. Cook the naan for about 30-60 seconds. You know it’s time to flip it when you can see the dough bubbling. If it is still sticking, give it another 15 seconds and try again. Gently lift it up with kitchen tongs.

This is where you have two options. You can flip the naan in the skillet and cook the other side just like you did the first. I did this with a handful of my dough and each came out beautifully.

Prerna’s recipe calls for heating the other side of the naan over an open flame to achieve an authentic naan look and taste. I was hesitant at first, but I lit my burner next to my cast iron skillet and got to work.

I absolutely loved this result!

I used kitchen tongs and held the naan over the flame for about 30 seconds, rotating it constantly. The timing worked perfectly since the other naan was toasting in the skillet, and it became natural to get into a routine: move naan from the skillet to the flame, place the next naan in the skillet, rotate the naan over the open flame, then set aside on a plate to cool. Repeat!

I highly recommend this option for those of you with a gas stove. Just be careful! Make sure there is nothing flammable nearby (such as towels or napkins) and give your full attention to the naan.

And remember, the other option of completing the naan in the skillet yields an excellent result as well.

I ended up with a tall, fluffy stack of regular and whole wheat naan. I hope there is naan in Heaven.

Regardless of how you choose to flavor your naan, I recommend brushing it with tons of melted butter. Why would you do anything else?

Of course, you also have the option of making naan pizzas (a favorite in our house) or peanut butter and jelly naan or even dessert naan. Naan topped with peanut butter, honey, bananas and chocolate chips? Sign me up!

I promise you won’t ever want to buy store-bought naan again. Enjoy!

Thanks to Prerna for her fabulous recipe and for helping me step out of my comfort zone in the kitchen. She made my first naan experience quite enjoyable and extremely delicious. Check out her wonderful blog, Indian Simmer, which is chock full of beautiful photography and mouth watering recipes.

Printable Recipe

Homemade Naan

by indiansimmer on January 25, 2011 in Breads January 25, 2011 Breads

See post on indiansimmer’s site!

4.53 Mitt(s) 19 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 5 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4

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Naan is one of the most popular Indian breads. It is a flat bread made with fermented dough, traditionally cooked in a clay oven called tandoor.

Ingredients

• 2 cups All Purpose Flour Or Wheat Flour
• ¾ teaspoons Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
• ½ teaspoons Sugar
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• ½ cups Warm Milk
• ½ cups Yogurt
• ½ Tablespoons Oil, As Needed
• Additional Optional Herbs And Seasonings To Flavor The Naan (See Note)

Preparation Instructions

Note: The ingredient list includes the ingredients for the dough. You can flavor your naan with all kinds of herbs. I made cumin naan, garlic naan, butter naan, and some topped with cilantro.

Mix all the dry ingredients together and make a well of flour.

Mix milk and yogurt together and pour half of it into the well and slowly combine it together.

I don’t think there’s an exact amount of liquid that should be added to the exact amount of flour to make a perfect dough. So what I do is continue adding liquid slowly and combining it all together slowly until a soft dough is made. The dough should be soft enough for you to be able to dig your finger into it without applying any pressure. If dough sticks to your hand too much, then use little bit of oil on your hands and then punch into the dough.

Cover with a damp cloth and let it sit in a warm place for at least 2 hours.

After a few hours, dust your working board, take out the dough and knead it for about 2-3 minutes. Divide the dough into smaller balls (in this case you should get about 8 balls to make naans).

Dust the board again and flatten the balls to make bread that is a little thick and elongated.

Now sprinkle one side of the bread with your desired flavor. I made cumin, minced garlic, chopped cilantro and some simple butter naans.

Brush the other side with water.

Heat a thick-bottomed skillet or a wok or any heavy-bottomed pan with a lid. Once it is nicely hot, place the naan wet side down (it will stick) and cover it with a lid.

Let it cook for about 30 seconds or until you see bubbles on it. Now cook the other side of the naan over a direct flame on the burner with the help of tongs. When you see some charred brown spots then you know that the naan is done.

Smother a good amount of butter on your naans and when you taste them, you’ll know what a peaceful life means!

 
 
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Jessica Merchant is a personal trainer turned food writer and blogger. Her blog, How Sweet Eats, is where she proclaims her love for all things sweet, all things bacon, and everything else in between. She works her magic in her Pittsburgh kitchen, which she shares with her husband of 2 years.