Easy Homemade Breadcrumbs
- PREP 5min
- COOK 10min
- TOTAL 15min
Breadcrumbs are easy to make at home and can be spiced up any way you like. Remember that you can control how fine or coarse the crumbs are. When making them for meatballs, we want them a bit finer. If we make breadcrumbs for a crunchy topping, we keep them more rustic and coarse. For Italian breadcrumbs, use Italian seasoning when toasting the breadcrumbs.
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
2 to 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning or dried herbs, optional
Directions
Cut the bread into small pieces. (The smaller the pieces, the easier for your device to break them down.)
Add the bread pieces to your food processor or blender and pulse until they break down into your desired size of breadcrumbs.
For toasted breadcrumbs, add breadcrumbs, olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to a wide skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until they are golden and crisp, about 5 minutes.
Alternatively, heat the oven to 300°F. Toss the breadcrumbs with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Add the mixture to a rimmed baking sheet and spread it into an even layer. Bake for 5 minutes, stir, and then bake another 3 to 5 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden and crisp.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Cool and store the breadcrumbs in an airtight container. They can be kept at room temperature for a few days or in the freezer for up to a month. If they soften a little, throw them into a hot skillet for a few minutes to crisp them up.
- Fresh vs. toasted: Depending on what you plan to do with them, you can leave bread crumbs fresh (an excellent option for meatballs or meatloaf) or toast them in a skillet or bake in the oven until golden and crisp.
- Do you need to cut off the crust? This is up to you, but we never cut off the crusts when making bread crumbs. I love the different colors and textures you achieve when using the middle and the bread crusts.
- No food processor or blender: 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 well for softer, fresh bread, so if that’s all you have, consider baking the bread to dry it out, just like we do when making homemade croutons.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.