Making Fruit Leather - Deni 7100 Use And Care Instructions Manual

7100 Instructions sgle pg 6/18/01
Food Dehydrator

MAKING FRUIT LEATHER

Fruit leathers, also called fruit taffies or fruit rolls, are easy
to make in your Deni Food Dehydrator. Fruit leather is a
perfect "take along" snack, high in energy and nutrition.
Because fruit leather is made from a fresh fruit puree, a
solid surface must be used for drying. If poured directly on
the trays it would seep through the openings. The solid
lining fits into the regular trays. Alternately you may cover
the regular trays with a food grade heavy plastic cut to fit
the circular trays.
Fruit leathers are best made from fully ripe fruits. Wash
fruits carefully; cut away any bruised or spoiled portions of
the fruit; remove the pits or stones and blend in a blender.
Peeling is not necessary unless the peels will detract from the
finished product, as in pears or peaches. Fruit leather from
very seedy berries is best when at least some of the seeds
are removed with a sieve. If the fruit will not begin blending
by itself, add a little fruit juice to begin the blending process.
Add a small amount of honey or corn syrup if sweetening is
needed. Remember that the sweetness will concentrate as
the leather dries. Honey or corn syrup does not crystallize
in the finished leather during storage. Sugar sweetened
leather gets brittle during storage.
Pour puree / thick in a circle on the fruit roll trays. When
1
4"
using food grade plastic instead of the fruit roll tray, leave
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3 / " free near the center and around the outer edge.
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Lemon juice, orange juice, fresh pineapple or slightly
cooked apple mix well with most fruits and add additional
flavor. Some fruits are best when used in combination with
other fruits, so experiment with different combinations.
It is fun to vary the flavor of fruit leather by adding spices or
flavorings (such as cinnamon, nutmeg, almond extract or
vanilla).
For a change in texture, try sprinkling the wet fruit leather
puree with grated fresh or flaked coconut, nuts, finely
chopped dried fruit, sesame or sunflower seeds. Remember
to store garnished fruit leather in the refrigerator or freezer
as it has a shorter shelf life than plain fruit leather when
stored at room temperature.
Fruit leather is dry when it is no longer sticky to touch yet
still pliable. Remove from the dehydrator while still warm,
cut into quarters and roll. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap
designed for the microwave or freezer (it is airtight and
moisture proof), then store in an airtight container. We
recommend the Deni Freshlock® vacuum canisters.
Fruit leather will usually maintain a good quality up to a
year when properly packaged and stored at room
temperature. To keep them fresher, or for longer storage,
vacuum seal in plastic bags and refrigerate or freeze.