Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Drying Bay Leaves Naturally
• Method 2 of 4: Using a dehydrator
• Method 3 of 4: Drying bay leaves in the oven
• Method 4 of 4: Using the microwave
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need
• Drying bay leaves in a natural way
• Using a dehydrator
• Drying bay leaves in the oven
• Using the microwave

Drying harvested herbs is a great way to enhance their aroma - dried bay leaves are 3-4 times more aromatic than fresh ones! Add bay leaves to meats, sauces, soups, and other dishes. The best way to preserve the scent of bay leaves and their essential oils is to air dry them, although you can also use a dehydrator, oven, or microwave.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Drying Bay Leaves Naturally

1. 1 Line a baking sheet with 1-2 paper towels. Use a baking sheet large enough to place all the bay leaves without touching. Line a baking sheet with one layer of paper towels.
2. 2 Spread bay leaves on paper towels. Do not stack the leaves one on top of the other, or they will dry out unevenly. If you have a lot of bay leaves, use another baking sheet.
   • Do not mix bay leaves with other herbs as they take different times to dry.
3. 3 Place the baking sheet in a warm, dry place with good ventilation. A kitchen table is perfect. At the same time, make sure that no direct sunlight falls on the leaves, otherwise they will wilt and darken.
   • Leaves can be exposed to indirect sunlight, although this is also undesirable.
4. 4 Check the leaves after one week and turn them over. Flip the leaves over to dry evenly and at the same speed. If some leaves dry faster than others, mark this and test for drier leaves after 3-4 days.
5. 5 Dry the leaves for another week. Check for moisture in the leaves. If in some places they remain dark green and soft, it may take another 3-4 days or a whole week for the leaves to dry completely.
   • If some of the leaves are already dry, remove them and place them in an airtight container.
6. 6 Pull the leaves off the stems and store in an airtight container. Discard the stems and place the whole leaves in a ziplock plastic bag or airtight container. You can also chop them up if your recipes don't require whole bay leaves. Store them in a cool, dark place at 18–24 ° C.
   • To chop or grind bay leaves, tear them apart with your fingers and crush each large piece with the back of a spoon until you have a coarse powder. You can also grind them into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle.
   • In general, bay leaves will retain their taste and aroma longer than shredded ones.
   • When stored properly, dried bay leaves can last up to one year.

Method 2 of 4: Using a dehydrator

1. 1 Preheat the dehydrator to 35–45 ° C. Place on a dehydrator at 35–45 ° C and wait about 30 minutes for it to warm up. If you live in an area with high humidity, set the dehydrator to 50 ° C.
   • Check the instructions that came with the dehydrator for information on the best temperature to dry bay leaves.
2. 2 Wash bay leaves under a small stream of cool water. Use a low-pressure tap and hand wash the leaves. Rub them lightly to remove dust and debris. After that, collect the leaves in a bunch, gently shake off excess water from them and pat dry with a paper towel.
   • Alternatively, you can put the leaves in a colander and stir with your fingers.
   • Wait 1 to 2 hours for the leaves to dry completely before placing them in the dehydrator.
3. 3 Arrange the leaves in one layer on the dehydrator trays. Make sure that the leaves do not touch or overlap, otherwise they will dry out unevenly. If the dehydrator has more than one shelf, use another tray if necessary.
   • If the dehydrator has multiple shelves, the top one will be the coldest and will dry the leaves the longest. Place the tray on the bottom shelf to help the leaves dry faster.
4. 4 Dry the leaves for 1-4 hours and check every hour. Bay leaves can dry from 1 to 4 hours, depending on the type of dehydrator and the humidity in the air. If after one hour the leaves are not brittle and brittle, leave them for another 30-60 minutes, then check again.
   • Check the instructions that came with the dehydrator to see if there are times for drying bay leaves.
5. 5 Remove the dried leaves from the dehydrator and wait for them to cool. You will determine that the leaves are dry when they begin to curl or crumble, and the stems begin to split. Leave the leaves on the kitchen counter for 1 hour to cool.
   • Do not place dried leaves in direct sunlight while they cool.
6. 6 Remove stems and store dried leaves in a tightly sealed bag or airtight container. Carefully separate the leaves from the stems. The leaves will retain their flavor better if left intact, although you can chop them up if you don't need whole bay leaves for your recipes.
   • Store dried leaves in a cool, dark place at 18–24 ° C.
   • Discard the stems in the garden or place them in compost.

Method 3 of 4: Drying bay leaves in the oven

1. 1 Set the oven to the lowest temperature. If the oven can be set to a temperature of 30–43 ° C, this is exactly what you need! Otherwise, set the lowest possible temperature, open the door slightly and do not close it during the whole process. You can also use the reheat function, if your oven has one, or a separate heater.
   • Drying bay leaves at temperatures above 43 ° C will cause them to lose their aroma, so you should open the oven door a little so that it doesn't get too hot.
   • If you leave the oven door ajar, keep children or pets away from it.
2. 2 Spread the bay leaves on a baking sheet. Use a baking sheet that is large and clean enough to hold all the leaves. Spread out the leaves so that there is at least 5 millimeters of free space between the neighboring ones - in this case, they will dry evenly.
   • Make sure there is no oil or non-stick spray on the baking sheet, otherwise they will interfere with the drying process.
3. 3 Place the baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the oven. For drying bay leaves, it is best to use the grate closest to the heating element. In this case, the bay leaves will dry properly. If your oven has specific hot and cold spots, be prepared to turn the baking sheet while drying.
   • If there are other trays in the oven, remove them so that they do not obstruct the circulation of heat and air.
4. 4 Leave the leaves in the oven for 30 minutes, then turn them over. Turn each bay leaf over to dry evenly. Use oven mitts to carefully remove the baking sheet or slide it out so you don't have to stick your hands inside the oven. Take each leaf by the stem and gently turn it over.
   • If you leave the oven door ajar, unfold the baking sheet so that the leaves that were previously near the door are at the back of the oven.
5. 5 Wait 45 minutes before checking to see if the leaves are dry. Put on the oven mitts, slide the baking sheet out of the oven and touch each sheet with your fingers. If the leaves are bent and do not break, leave them in the oven for another 15-30 minutes, then check again.
   • If the leaves become brittle and break when you touch them, remove them from the oven and wait for them to cool on the kitchen counter.
6. 6 Turn off the oven when the leaves are dry and brittle. It usually takes about 1 hour for bay leaves to dry in the oven, although higher humidity may take longer. After the leaves are dry, turn off the oven and wait about 1 hour for them to cool on the baking sheet.
   • If the leaves are discolored and seem too brittle, turn off the oven, use oven mitts to remove the baking sheet from it and place it on the table so that the leaves cool without additional heat.
7. 7 Tear off the stems and transfer the leaves to a tightly resealable container or ziplock bag. Separate the stems from the leaves and discard them in the garden or place them in a compost bucket. Transfer the dried leaves to an airtight container or a ziplock plastic bag. When stored properly, dry bay leaves will retain their scent for several years!
   • Although bay leaves can be stored for up to 3 years, they lose their aroma and flavor over time.
   • You can grind the bay leaves right away, but in this case they will lose their aroma more quickly.
   • Bay leaves can be used immediately, but keep in mind that they retain their flavor and aroma for a long time.

Method 4 of 4: Using the microwave

1. 1 Line a microwave-safe plate with a paper towel. Do not use recycled paper towels as they contain small metal particles that can ignite in the microwave. You can also bring a clean tea towel.
   • If you are using a kitchen towel, make sure it does not have any metal tags that could catch fire in the microwave.
2. 2 Place the leaves on a towel and then cover them with another towel. Spread the bay leaves on a paper towel so they don't touch each other. Then cover them with another paper towel.
   • If you're using a large enough tea towel, you can fold it in half and cover the leaves with the other half.
3. 3 Heat the leaves in the microwave on high power for 35-45 seconds. Bay leaves are high in oil, so they need enough time to dry, but not too much or they can burn. For a standard microwave oven (1000 watts) 35 seconds is recommended. It may take 30 to 50 seconds, depending on the brand of microwave oven.
   • Do not heat the leaves in the microwave for more than 70–80 seconds, otherwise they may burn!
4. 4 Remove the stems from the leaves and store in an airtight container. Once the bay leaves are completely dry, they will become brittle and brittle. If the leaves are soft to the touch and do not break when bent, reheat them in the microwave at 10–20 second intervals and check each time.
   • If the bay leaves have darkened and started to smell burnt, discard them and try drying a fresh batch.
   • Whole bay leaves retain their flavor longer than shredded ones.

Tips

• Remember that dried leaves are much more flavorful than fresh ones. Remember to keep this in mind if you are using dried bay leaves for a recipe that lists the amount of fresh leaves.
• Use the microwave to dry small amounts of bay leaves.

Warnings

• Do not try to dry bay leaves outdoors in direct sunlight. As a result, the leaves will become discolored and lose their flavor.

What do you need

Drying bay leaves in a natural way

• Baking tray
• Paper towels
• Sealed container or bag with a fastener (for storage)

Using a dehydrator

• Dehydrator
• Dehydrator tray
• Sealed container or bag with a fastener (for storage)

Drying bay leaves in the oven

• Baking tray
• Oven potholders (to remove the baking sheet)
• Sealed container or bag with a fastener (for storage)

Using the microwave

• Microwave-safe plate
• Paper or kitchen towels
• Sealed container or bag with a fastener (for storage)