How to Make Homemade Breadcrumbs
Published October 27, 2022. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Learn how easy it is to make homemade breadcrumbs using leftover bread that can be used immediately in your next recipe. You will not believe just how simple these are to make.
Breadcrumbs have a fantastic way of taking your food over the top to help provide flavor and loads of texture. My favorite ways to use them are in my Chicken Parmigiana or my Breaded Pork Chops.
Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs are dried plain or flavored finely processed crumbs from drying or baking fresh bread. In the culinary world, they are known as dry crumbs, which are different than fresh crumbs. There are many uses for breadcrumbs when it comes to cooking to enhance the flavors of your dish.
The best part about breadcrumbs is that they can be made entirely from leftover bread you have at home. It does not matter if you have leftover sourdough, brioche, or even plain slices of white bread. They can be used to make breadcrumbs. What I’m trying to say is, stop throwing away unused bread.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Bread – Any unused fresh bread will work
How to Make Homemade Bread Crumbs
There are a few ways you can do this. The first one starts by adding unused fresh bread to a turned-off oven and letting it dry until it becomes dry and flaky. This is what my family usually does.
The second procedure would be to add slices or cubes of any leftover fresh bread, spread it out on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper, and bake at 300° for about 35 to 40 minutes or until it becomes dried out and very lightly browned.
If you did the second method, let the bread cool to room temperature.
Whether you dried them out over a few days or baked them until dry, add them in batches to a food processor and process them on high speed until the bread is very finely chopped and each grain is about the size of sand or slightly larger.
Use right away or store in an air-tight container.
Italian Breadcrumbs
If you want to enhance simple breadcrumbs, you can add a few spices and seasonings to them to make Italian breadcrumbs which can make for excellent breading or topping for any of your favorite dishes. Here are the ingredients you need to make it:
- 2 cups breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic granules
- 1 tablespoon onion granules
- 1 tablespoon dry oregano
- 1 tablespoon dry basil
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this up to several weeks before using.
How to Store: Cover with an airtight container in a cool dark place for up to 3 months. These will freeze well for up to 1 year.
Chef Notes + Tips
- Any bread can be used to make breadcrumbs.
Recipes to Use Them In
How to Make Homemade Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of fresh bread, cut or sliced up.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°.
- There are a few ways you can do this. The first one starts by adding unused fresh bread to a turned-off oven and letting it dry out until it becomes dry and flaky. This is what my family usually does.
- The second procedure would be to add slices or cubes of any leftover fresh bread and spread it out on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper, and bake at 300° for about 35 to 40 minutes or until it becomes dried out and very lightly browned.
- If you did the second method, let the bread cool to room temperature.
- Whether you dried them out over a few days or baked them until dry, add them in batches to a food processor and process them on high speed until the bread is very finely chopped and each grain is about the size of sand or slightly larger.
- Use right away or store in an air-tight container.
Chef Billy – could you also use this same method to make croutons? Just chop the bread, mix with the spice blend, and bake for the same amount of time? It’s getting to be that time of the year again!
https://www.billyparisi.com/the-best-homemade-croutons-recipe/