I love to bake and often times when I come across a recipe, it will call for some citrus zest and I never have it on hand. I don't keep lemons or limes laying around much either so I decided to zest some citrus fruits and dehydrate them so I have them on hand whenever I need them.
Orange zest and lemon zest are usually used in quick breads and fruit breads. All the different citrus zests are great for decorating the tops of breads and cakes and adds just the simplest of citrus flavoring that really makes a difference.
To create your own zest is super simple. Using a citrus zester or a vegetable peeler, just remove the "skin" of your lemons, limes and oranges. Stop before you get to the white of the fruit.
Place the "zest" onto your dehydrator trays and start the dehydrator. The zests are ready when they are completely dry and brittle. It can take about 14-16 hours. I then place the dried zest into a small mason/canning jar until I am ready to use it.
To use, just place the zest into a grinder and grind into a powder or pinch the zest between your fingers to break it up into small pieces. Add into your dishes as you would fresh zest. If a recipe calls for the zest of one lemon, lime or orange, just use 1 tsp. of this dehydrated and dried zest.
Neat!
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