How to make bread crumbs at home

I cook a lot of recipes that call for bread crumbs, from fried chicken, to tuna pasta bakes. For years I bought pre-made bread crumbs, you can get all sorts of types with the seasoning already added. However, as a mom on a budget, I stopped buying bread crumbs. I soon realized, I still need bread crumbs. I tried crushing crackers, and that works, but you still have big chunks, and frankly, it’s a waste of good crackers. 
Then, one day I decided to make my own, and began my research on how. I was surprised at how easy it really is. 

What you need:

  1. Bread, 2 to 4 slices, depending on how much you need.
  2. An oven, or a bread toaster.
  3. A food processor, or a blender.
  4. Seasonings to suit your taste, depending on the recipe.

What to do:

1. Toast your bread slices, either in the toaster or the oven. Not too light, and not too dark. 
2. Allow them to cool, even sit out for an hour or two.

3. When you are ready, simply break a piece of bread into smaller chunks and throw them in the blender and crush until you have crumbs. It is best to do one piece of bread at a time.

4. Once each piece is crumbled, you can always add them all back in the blender and make sure you get a finer grain, but you don’t have to.

5. Add your seasonings, and tada, you have bread crumbs. 

No extra preservatives, no spending extra money on pre-made bread crumbs. No more looking through the cupboards trying to figure out what to use for that recipe that calls for bread crumbs. 
If you are like me, I can’t stand the heel of the bread loaf, keep them, put them in the freezer until you need bread crumbs, Pull them out, thaw them, and make your bread crumbs. No more wasting bread.  


Quick Tips:

Q: What if I don't have a blender or a food processor?
A: There are a few other options you can do if you don't have either of these. First is to grate the toast using a box grater, second is crumbling the bread as much as possible using your hands, and then doing the 'mortar and pestle' method. Of course not everyone has a mortar and pestle, in that case, use a nice thick glass, in a plastic bowl, and just grind down the bread until you have bread crumbs. 

What recipes can you think of that calls for bread crumbs? How often are you using bread crumbs on a weekly, monthly basis?

About the Author

CookIT User: Kim Glee

Kim Glee

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