Toasted bread crumbs may not be glamorous, but they certainly are an easy, inexpensive way to add crunch to any dish. Since bread crumbs are essentially little bits of bread—sometimes toasted, sometimes not—I wondered whether it would be worthwhile to write a blog about them. Well, last Saturday I heard a resounding Yes, write about them!
I needed bread crumbs for a recipe I was making for a guest coming for lunch. I had planned to make my own, but ran short on time. Sam graciously speed-walked to a neighborhood grocery store a few blocks away to buy bread crumbs. A few minutes later my cell rang: “The bread crumbs are $6.79 for 2 cups.” What! For toasted bits of bread? Highway robbery! Needless to say, Sam walked an extra 10 minutes to another store to buy much more reasonably priced bread crumbs.
The extortionary prices on bread crumbs got me thinking that, yes, indeed, it would be better to boycott store-bought bread crumbs and make my own. And just in case you are faced with the dilemma of buying bread crumbs or making your own, I thought I’d share a recipe for toasted bread crumbs with you.
Toasted Bread Crumbs
Ingredients:
About ½ loaf of bread (I used half of a small loaf of Pugliese from Trader Joe’s)
Fennel seeds (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Tear the bread into pieces. I like to tear the crust into smaller pieces and the interior into larger pieces so the bread crumbs are more uniform in size after being ground in the food processor.
- Place bread pieces in a food processor and pulse until the desired bread crumb size is reached.
- Spread bread crumbs on a shallow, rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with fennel seeds if using.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown, stirring the bread crumbs occasionally.
- When bread crumbs are cool, store in an airtight container.
Five Ways to Use Bread Crumbs
- Skip the scrambled eggs and make Baked Eggs with Breadcrumbs, Scallions and Cream
- Garnish your pasta dish with toasted bread crumbs for an extra crunch
- Substitute toasted bread crumbs for Panko in this simple version of Eggplant Parmesan
- Sprinkle sautéed asparagus or any cooked veggie with toasted bread crumbs
- Top Broiled Flounder or other fish with toasted breadcrumbs
Thanks to Mark Bittman for the method for making Toasted Bread Crumbs (How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, p 804).
Hello! My name is Andrea, and I’m a freelance writer living in the lovely, hilly city of San Francisco with my husband Sam.
How to Make Toasted Bread Crumbs + 5 Ways to Use Them
Toasted bread crumbs may not be glamorous, but they certainly are an easy, inexpensive way to add crunch to any dish. Since bread crumbs are essentially little bits of bread—sometimes toasted, sometimes not—I wondered whether it would be worthwhile to write a blog about them. Well, last Saturday I heard a resounding Yes, write about them!
I needed bread crumbs for a recipe I was making for a guest coming for lunch. I had planned to make my own, but ran short on time. Sam graciously speed-walked to a neighborhood grocery store a few blocks away to buy bread crumbs. A few minutes later my cell rang: “The bread crumbs are $6.79 for 2 cups.” What! For toasted bits of bread? Highway robbery! Needless to say, Sam walked an extra 10 minutes to another store to buy much more reasonably priced bread crumbs.
The extortionary prices on bread crumbs got me thinking that, yes, indeed, it would be better to boycott store-bought bread crumbs and make my own. And just in case you are faced with the dilemma of buying bread crumbs or making your own, I thought I’d share a recipe for toasted bread crumbs with you.
Toasted Bread Crumbs
Ingredients:
About ½ loaf of bread (I used half of a small loaf of Pugliese from Trader Joe’s)
Fennel seeds (optional)
Five Ways to Use Bread Crumbs
Thanks to Mark Bittman for the method for making Toasted Bread Crumbs (How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, p 804).