Breadcrumbs are a handy ingredient to keep on hand. They make great topping for baked casseroles, help meatballs hold together, and coat “fried” foods like baked onion rings.
But instead of adding breadcrumbs to your list of pantry staples, you can easily make your own, possibly even with bread you would have thrown away!
Quick & Easy Homemade Breadcrumbs Instructions
- Save bread heels, crumbs from the cutting board, leftover garlic toast. Save any and all bread that you might otherwise toss. Helpful hint: Keep a bag or container near where you cut bread that you can easily toss your leftover bread into.
- During your cooking day or at least once a week, take the leftover bread bits and spread them on a cookie sheet. I like to use a cookie sheet covered with a Silpat or parchment paper. Toss the sheet of bread into the oven at anywhere from 300-400 degrees, preferably along with something else you were baking anyway. I like to stick mine in the oven along with my weekly batch of homemade granola. Leave them in the oven (even when the oven is off and cooling down) until they are dried out.
- Toss the dried out bread into a blender or food processor with some salt and herbs (parsley or Italian herbs) and blend until they are finely ground.
- Keep a freezer bag or container in your freezer for breadcrumbs and simply toss your new batch into the stash. You can use the breadcrumbs directly from the freezer; they shouldn’t clump together.
The process is easy and uses no energy or materials (other than the herbs) that weren’t already being used. It’s an easy few steps to add to your kitchen routine, and results in practically free breadcrumbs for all your cooking needs.
