Homemade Breadcrumbs - A Guide - Everyday Healthy Recipes

Hand holding homemade breadcrumbs over yellow bowl.

Homemade Breadcrumbs - A Guide

Everything you need to know about making homemade breadcrumbs - including the type of bread and equipment to use as well as storing. Find out how to make ordinary as well as panko style breadcrumbs.

Course Breadcrumbs

Cuisine vegetarian

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 9

Total Time 11

Servings servings

Calories 38kcal

Author Monika Dabrowski

Equipment

Food processor
Blender
Box grater

Ingredients

4 slices of bread white or whole wheat, fresh or a little stale

Instructions

To make fine breadcrumbs use the large blade of the food processor. This blade can also be used for a coarser crumb but it will be a mixture of coarse and fine crumbs. For a coarse, panko style crumb use the grating disc of the food processor. Use either fresh or stale bread.
Chop the bread roughly and place in the food processor (using either the blade or grating disc) and pulse until crumbly.
These breadcrumbs can either be used fresh or dried (see step below). Fresh breadcrumbs can be used immediately or refrigerated for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
To dry breadcrumbs preheat the oven to 300 F/ 150 C/ gas mark 2 and line a large baking sheet with parchment. Spread your bread mixture over the sheet as evenly as possible (without overcrowding it) and bake in the centre of the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir and bake for a further 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely. The mixture should be very crisp, dry and make a rustling sound when you touch it.
If you used a grating disc your panko style breadcrumbs are now ready to use or store for later.
If you used a blade and your breadcrumbs are a little too large you can place them back in the food processor and pulse until the crumbs are the consistency you want. Alternatively place the toasted bread in a zip lock bag and bash using a rolling pin.
Ensure the breadcrumbs are completely cooled before storing.

Notes

There is no need to remove the crust from the bread before making homemade breadcrumbs (except for panko style crumbs).
Use either a food processor, high speed blender or box grater to make breadcrumbs. While a food processor will produce both fine as well as coarse crumbs (so is most versatile and effective) a blender and box grater are better for making finer breadcrumbs using very dry bread.
Food processor: To make fine breadcrumbs use the large blade. For a coarse, panko style crumb use the grating disc of the food processor (use soft white bread without the crust - process the crust separately, then dry and use as ordinary breadcrumbs). Use either fresh or stale bread.
Don't brown the breadcrumbs in the oven - you only need to dry them. Ensure your oven temperature is low and you dry them briefly (see steps above).
Cool the dried breadcrumbs completely before storing.
Dried breadcrumbs can be stored for up to 3 months (or even longer if they’ve been dried and stored properly). Fresh bread breadcrumbs should be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
If you want to make homemade breadcrumbs using frozen bread defrost it first (either in the oven on low or in the microwave, for individual slices), then chop and follow the instructions for drying above.
If you want to add other ingredients into your bread crumbs (herbs, spices etc) do so just before using the breadcrumbs.

Nutrition