Do you want to learn how to make breadcrumbs at home? Breadcrumbs are one of the easiest pantry staples to make yourself, and a great way to cut down on food waste. We rarely use a whole loaf of bread at one time, and inevitably we end up with stale bread. You’ll never get a useful amount of breadcrumbs out of a small chunk of stale bread. We keep a ziplock bag in the freezer and toss all of our stale bread into it. When the bag is full, it’s time to make breadcrumbs.
The key to good breadcrumbs is to dry out the bread completely. To do this, just heat your oven to 200 degrees fahrenheit, arrange your bread on a sheet pan, and bake in the oven until it is completely dry and crunchy, about 15-20 minutes, or until completly dry. There is no need to be precise. We’ve accidentally left the bread in the oven for closer to an hour and it has turned out fine (at this low of heat, it’s unlikely to burn).
When the bread is dry and brittle, remove from the oven and let cool. Transfer to a food processor, breaking it into smaller pieces, and pulse to the desired consistency. Depending on the intended use, you can season the breadcrumbs with salt and herbs, or leave them plain. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
- Stale Bread
- Heat your oven to 200F.
- Arrange your bread on a sheet pan, and bake in the oven until it is completely dry and crunchy, about 15-20 minutes, or until completly dry.
- When the bread is dry and brittle, remove from the oven and let cool.
- Transfer to a food processor, breaking it into smaller pieces, and pulse to the desired consistency.