I’m not the type that needs everything in my pantry to be homemade. One thing I really like to have around, though, is homemade bread crumbs made from a stale loaf of French or Italian bread. They’re exceedingly easy to make, require no food processor and stay fresh for months in the cabinet or freezer, which is more than enough time for me to use ’em up.
Now, here’s what you need…
- loaf of stale crusty bread (such as French or Italian)
- cutting board
- sharp bread knife
- large or small baking sheet (depending on the quantity of breadcrumbs you plan to make)
- resealable plastic bag
- rolling pin
- tupperware
- a few of your favorite spices, such as garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, lemon zest, chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, dried oregano, dried rosemary, etc. (get creative!)
The pictures may be pretty self-explanatory but there are a few things that aren’t so obvious, so have a little read:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and grab a stale loaf of crusty bread.
2. Slice the loaf into thick strips.
3. Gather the strips together and cut into small cubes.
4. Place the cubes on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.
5. Once baked, the cubes should be crunchy and golden brown in color.
6. Place into a resealable plastic bag.
7. Add seasonings of your choice (see above for ideas; I used a little salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried parsley)
8. Roll over the plastic bag with a rolling pin until you have the desired fine texture. Store in an airtight container for up to one month, or in the freezer for up to three months.
And that’s all there is to it!
You’ll love using these homemade bread crumbs to coat chicken and turkey breasts, or as a crispy topping for macaroni and cheese, casseroles and vegetable gratin. Bread crumbs also make excellent filler in dishes like quiches, frittatas, and puddings, so decide how you’d like to use them before adding your seasonings.
I hope this was a useful guideline for you and that you’ll enjoy making your own breadcrumbs next time you, too, have a stale loaf lying around!
I love how visual you made the tutorial. I love making my own bread crumbs because it means that I tend to waste less, plus there are so many interesting types of breads that it can really be fun and add some variety. Just stumbled upon your blog via the foodie blog roll and wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed this post and liked the look.
Loved your blog! Congrats!!!
I’ve made breadcrumbs before (though you can really hardly call them “make” since you just let the air dry them out), but never really thought to season them. This is a brilliant yet simple recipe!
Seasoned homemade breadcrumbs make such a difference!
These are such pretty pictures & very informative. I agree with you, some things we just don’t have the time or energy to create from scratch but others (like this recipe) are well worth the small effort. xo
So easy and yet so delicious. I think that homemade bread crumbs make such a difference in recipes that call for them, and I know that they are handy when you have some extra bread you need to get rid of. I would love to make eggplant parmesan with a batch of this!
Thanks! This is such a good use of left-over bread, and it’s great to be able to control the seasonings.
I agree…it is kind of overwhelming to have everything in the pantry be homemade. I can’t keep up with it all before it expires! BUt breadcrumbs are totally worth the little bit of effort!
Yup.. I have some old bread sitting on my counter and I’ve been trying to figure out how to use it instead of throwin it away.. this is perfect!! Thanks :)
Hi Debbie,
I just started using panko bread crumbs, too – my first use was as a topping for mac n’ cheese, but I’m thinking of using them for crab cakes next. I love ’em! Anyway, I’m glad you found this post useful. Thanks for visiting, and keep up the awesome recipes on your own blog!
– Georgia
Yeah! This is very exciting, just the other day I made my own bread crumbs because I needed them for a recipe and realized I didn’t have any, and they were so much better than the kind in a jar. I also just tried Panko bread crumbs for the first time after realizing how much sodium is in regular bread crumbs. Now I will get to make my own, thanks again!
I love making homemade bread crumbs.
Thanks very much, Kelly! You’re right, you can use different types of breads for this too, like foccacia, sourdough, cinnamon raisin, the list goes on. Thanks for visiting!
I was just making a post on this, thanks for sharing!