Introduction: Strawberry Leather Preserve - Two Methods

About: Professional in Curiosity! - Slow Food Movement Co-Producer - Cook - Fermenter - Chemical Engineer

This is my first Instructable and also the first time I make this recipe so I want the help of everyone who reads it and leave me some feedback on the comments and make sure to leave me any pictures of your leather.

Well I've been wanting to make an Instructable since I met the page and I figured out that a recipe would be good and I did some research on fruit leathers  well I've always loved the artificial one and this time I would like to make a healthier and fun snack ,I found two methods of making it so I said to myself why not show the people both and that's what I did also it is great for kids lunch boxes and for just snacking away  

Step 1: Gather Your Ingredients and Tools

This step is the simplest of them all and basically you will need:

Ingredients:

For Method 1
-Strawberries (Any amount you want I used about 1 Kg).
-Any form of sweetener (Any amount I'm using and unrefined sugar called Panela but you could use Honey).

For Method 2
-The Ingredients listed above.
-Water (I added about 1/4 cup to my Strawberries).

Tools:

For Method 1
-Blender.
-Scissors.
-Spatula.
-Baking or Parchment Paper.
-Baking Tray.

For Method 2:
-All the Tools listed above.
-One pot (The size depends on the amount of Strawberries).

Step 2: Prepare Your Strawberries

For Method 1:

-Chop your Strawberries and add them to the blender.
-Add your sweetener and blend well until a puree.
-Line your Baking Tray with your paper and spread you mixture EVENLY (This is a crucial part and does affect the final product).

For Method 2:

-Chop your Strawberries and add them to your pot.
-Add your sweetener and your water.
-Bring your mixture to a simmer and let it bubble from 5-10 minutes or until the fruit is soft.
-Blend your mixture well.
-Sieve your mixture (this step can also be done in Method 1)
-Line your Baking Tray with your paper and spread you mixture EVENLY

Step 3: Baking and Waiting...

This step is the longest and I didn't carefully monitor my oven so it did affect my result.

For Method 1
-Bake your mixture on 300°F or 150°C on a time lapse of 2 to 3 hours (check your leather constantly to avoid burning)

For Method 2 
-Bake your mixture on 180°F or 80°C on a time lapse of 4 to 6 hours (check your leather constantly to avoid burning)

I didn't post any result picture of this method well I didn't monitor it well and some of it was burnt and the other was uncooked in conclusion it was a FAIL.

Step 4: Results and Conclusion

Remove your leather from the baking paper if possible I really don't know why my leather sticked and it was really hard taking it apart but it tasted great and it is had that fruity flavor from the bought at the store and the best thing of all is that it is heathy.

For some better preparation next time I have to:
-Make my mixture EVEN on the baking tray .
-Control and Monitor constantly my mixture during the baking process.

If I make some again I would make an update and post the new pictures and results.

Happy Leather Making :)

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