Easy Homemade Bread Crumbs
- PREP 5min
- COOK 10min
- TOTAL 15min
Bread crumbs are easy to make at home and can be spiced up any way you like. This is how we make bread crumbs from scratch to use in our favorite dishes like meatballs, meatloaf, breaded chicken and so much more! Keep in mind that you can control how fine or coarse the crumbs are. When making them for meatballs, we like them a bit finer. If we are making bread crumbs to be used as a crunchy topping, we keep them more rustic and coarse.
You Will Need
2 to 3 cups cubed bread (about 2 ounces)
2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 to 2 teaspoons dried herbs, optional
Directions
Turning the bread into crumbs
Using a food processor, blender or spice grinder: Cube the bread of your choosing into small pieces. The smaller you cut the bread, the easier it will be for your appliance to break the bread down. Add the bread pieces to your appliance and pulse until the bread breaks down into your desired size.
Use a box grater or microplane: If your bread is hard and stale, you can carefully grate it using a box grater and even a microplane. This method doesn’t work as well for softer, more fresh bread so if that’s all you have, consider baking the bread before grating to dry it out — just like we do when making homemade croutons.
Use a rolling pin, heavy pan or mallet: If your bread is hard and stale, add it to a bag and beat it into submission with something heavy like a rolling pin, heavy pan or mallet. This method doesn’t work as well for softer, more fresh bread so if that’s all you have, consider baking the bread before grating to dry it out — just like we do when making homemade croutons.
Toasted Bread Crumbs, Stovetop Method
Add bread crumbs, olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to a wide skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the crumbs are golden and crisp, about 5 minutes.
Toasted Bread Crumbs, Oven Method
Heat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the bread crumbs with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Add the mixture to a rimmed baking sheet and spread into one even layer. Bake for 5 minutes, stir, and then bake another 3 to 5 minutes or until the bread crumbs are golden and crisp.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Depending on what you plan to do with them, you can leave bread crumbs fresh (this is a nice option for meatballs or meatloaf) or you can toast them in a skillet or bake in the oven until golden and crisp.
- Store homemade bread crumbs in an airtight container for a few days at room temperature or up to a month in the freezer.
- Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
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