I don’t like dried fruit. I don’t even really like most all store bought fruit leathers. But lavashak? Addicted is the only way to describe the way I feel about this Persian version of fruit leather. It’s the inherent tart and sour qualities that I love so much – not too sweet, super fragrant and deliciously chewy. I was first introduced to lavashak by my friend’s mother, who makes sheets of it with fruit from her orchard, summer after summer. The traditional method is to pick lots of fresh stone fruit, like plums, pluots, sour cherries, apricots or peaches, cook them down into a thick sauce, spread them over ceramic plates and allow them to dry naturally in the sun over a period of days. It’s a great way to preserve summer’s best fruit. And kids love it too!
Stone fruit will really give you that wonderful tart quality that I personally like. But you can use just about any fruit here. I intentionally omit sugar – as long as you’re using ripe fruit, it doesn’t need it! Sour cherries, plums and pluots will make for tart and tangy lavashak. Peaches, nectarines and apricots will obviously be sweeter. For this recipe, I’m using two varieties of pluots: Flavor Kings and Dapple Jacks.
Wash the fruit before tossing into a large pot. You can put them in whole or cut them in half, seeds and all. Add just a quarter cup of water to prevent the fruit from burning to the bottom of the pot.
Let the fruit cook over medium-low heat with the lid on and stir occasionally. Turn the heat off when the fruit has broken down completely and has thickened.
Allow to cool before fishing out any seeds. Pour the fruit mixture into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Pour a good amount over a baking sheet lined with a silicone liner or parchment paper. Spread until it is evenly spread over the sheet at approximately 1/2″ thick.
Bake at 170 degrees for 5-6 hours or until the lavashak isn’t tacky to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Slowly peel away from the liner or parchment paper. Cut into strips with a knife or pizza cutter.
Place a strip of parchment paper on top and roll!
Store in an airtight container or bag.
Enjoy!
(images by HonestlyYUM)
LAVASHAK (FRUIT ROLL UP OR FRUIT LEATHER)
Ingredients:
- 5 lbs of stone fruit
- 1/2 cup of water
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees.
- Wash fruit and cut in halves.
- Place fruit into a large pot and cook over medium-low heat until fruit has completely broken down. Stir occasionally.
- Allow to cool before blending in a food processor or blender.
- Pour fruit mixture over a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet and spread until 1/2″ thick.
- Bake for 5-6 hours or until the fruit is not tacky to the touch.
- Carefully peel away from liner and cut into 2″ strips.
- Roll each strip with parchment paper and tie with twine to close.
- Store in an airtight container and enjoy!
My mother in law used to do this with apple juice I just don’t know how she made it thick. She used to lay them on her dining room table on cheesecloth until they dried we used to eat them with walnuts do u know what to use to thicken. Thank u
I used to make fruit leather with my Armenian friend and she would add flour to the juice and boil it, and then dry it on bed sheets hanging in the sun!
Can I just buy this somewhere instead?
I do something very similar, but I use my dehydrator to dry them out.
The only other difference I make is that I put the strip of parchment paper (or wax paper) underneath the strip of fruit leather before I roll it. That way the paper covers the fruit and it packs easily to go in lunch boxes.
I was so inspired by your gorgeous photos that I made lavashak! It was super simple, but it ended up taking me 12 hours in the oven to actually dehydrate. Well worth it, however, and we have been enjoying it all week!
Can you perhaps do a tutorial on basics for food photography ? Your pictures are just so yummy!
Wonderful, healthy snack…and beautiful photo by the way!
This looks so great! I’d like one in every color please 🙂
So gorgeous, what a great snack!
I love fruit leather but have never had real fruit leather (I’m assuming fruit by the foot is not really entirely natural) and especially with stone fruit! Must do this with all those lovely pluots I’m seeing everywhere.
This is really bringing me back to childhood! My mom used to make huge batches of peach and apricot fruit leather, and we’d eat it all year. 🙂
I love Lavashak! Never thought about doing it though 🙂
Thanks so much!
Your process photos make this irresistible to me. So delicious!
Looks beautiful! I love fruit leather. I’m half Armenian, so I grew up eating lots of homemade fruit leather. We call it “bastegh”. YUM!
I have never heard of this but I am itching to try it!
i made fruit leather with avocados long time ago – these with stone fruits sounds divine!
My boys would absolutely love these, thank you! Beautiful pictures as always too.
Best snack ever! Love these gorgeous photos!
these photos and this styling is breathtaking!!!! i’ve been wanting to make fruit leather for the longest time now… (and ok, buying fruit by the foot at this age would probably just be embarrassing… 🙂
yesssssssss,lavashaaaaaaaaaaaaak,i love it,even while you bake it the smell makes your moth watery or even thinking about it ……most of the tie when try to make in the traditional way ,i end up eating it before it’s dried.
:)))))))))))))))
Whenever I see fruit leather, I always revert back to being a kid. There’s something so nostalgic and familiar about it!
Oh yes I remember these from my childhood visits in Iran. My step grandmother would make lavashak in the yard and let dry in the summer sun. They’re loaded with flavor and really tart. Unfortunately you can’t produce them here in Germany as the sun never gets strong enough.
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