How to Make Dried Red Chili Flakes
Every summer I harvest an abundance of cayenne peppers from my garden - way too many to eat fresh, so I dry them! Let me tell you how to make dried red chili flakes the easy way - no special equipment needed here; just a baking tray and a warm oven!
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Ingredients
- cayenne peppers, fresh and vibrant red in colour
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your oven to 180 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. You may need more than one baking sheet depending on how many cayenne peppers you are drying. If your oven can only fit one or two baking sheets at a time, you will need to dry the peppers in batches. It is important to place the peppers on the baking trays in a single layer.
- Next, wash the peppers by filling a large bowl or your very clean sink with cold water. Add the fresh, very red and ripe cayenne peppers to the water and swish them around gently a few times to wash. Remove the cayennes from the water in large handfuls and transfer to a clean kitchen towel. Gently press the peppers dry.
- Transfer the peppers to the prepared baking sheet and set it into the preheated oven. You will need to dry the peppers for 3-4 hours. Check the peppers after the first 90 minutes. Gently shake the baking sheet to move the peppers about. Rotate the pan and set it back in the oven for another 90 minutes.
- For the next hour, pay closer attention to your peppers, because depending on the size, they may need more or less time. Once the peppers are completely dried, they will easily break and crumble. You can remove fully dried peppers from the tray and set them into a glass bowl to cool. Return the peppers that need more time back to the oven and bake in 20 minute increments.
- Before packing for storage, make sure your chili peppers are fully cooled.
- To crumble the peppers, break away the stem and discard. Place the red part of the pepper into a food processor and pulse a few times until they are flakes.
- You may store your chili flakes whole or crumbled. You can use either air-tight storage containers or a clean mason jar.