Have you ever wondered how to make homemade bread crumbs? It is so easy to make your own bread crumbs and you’re guaranteed to have healthier bread crumbs than store bought ones filled with preservatives.
The other great thing about making your own bread crumbs is it will save money not buying them at the store and that’s something this frugal mama loves!
Some of our favorite recipes, like zucchini mock crab cakes and my husband’s favorite schnitzel, use bread crumbs.
Types of Bread to Use for Making Homemade Bread Crumbs
Since I started using homemade bread crumbs in our recipes, we noticed the food has a more delicious flavor. This makes sense since our homemade bread crumbs are made from bread scraps and we love a good, high quality loaf of bread!
When I first started making homemade bread crumbs years ago, I used all the types of bread crusts we had. I even included the stronger flavored rye bread my husband loves.
I quickly realized that having the stronger flavor of rye bread in our homemade bread crumbs wasn’t always the best since it contrasted with the flavor in some of the recipes I was making.
When making homemade bread crumbs, keep in mind the flavor of the bread you will be using. For some recipes, rye bread crumbs may be delicious but not all of them!
Whether you make your own bread or buy bread at the store, they can be used to make bread crumbs.
Other bread types for making homemade bread crumbs are:
-white bread
-french bread
-wheat bread
-sourdough bread
-gluten free bread (a great option for those folks needing gluten free bread crumbs!)
How to Make Bread Crumbs in a Few Easy Steps
When I first started making homemade bread crumbs, I kept a gallon size resealable bag in our freezer. Anytime we had bread crusts or stale bread, I tore it into pieces and put it into the bag in the freezer until I had enough to make batch of bread crumbs.
Follow these simple steps to make homemade bread crumbs:
1. Take your stale bread or the heels of the bread and tear it into small pieces, about 1” in size.
2. If the bread isn’t already dried out and stale, place the bread pieces in a bowl and sit on the counter for a day until they are really hard and stale.
3. Place the bread pieces in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
4. Add spices you desire. We typically just use a little salt and pepper but occasionally for more flavorful bread crumbs I add some garlic powder or Italian spices.
5. If you don’t use all your bread crumbs at once, simply store them in the freezer in an airtight container until you need them again.
How to Make Italian Bread Crumbs
Once you learn how to make basic homemade bread crumbs, it’s easy to experiment with adding seasonings.
Many recipes I have call for Italian bread crumbs. They are simple plain bread crumbs with dried herbs added in for seasoning.
Mix together:
-1 cup of plain homemade bread crumbs
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon onion powder
-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
-1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Storing Homemade Bread Crumbs
I make one big batch of homemade bread crumbs every couple months and store them in the freezer in a tightly sealed bag.
That way when I need them for a recipe, I don’t have to make them from scratch every time. I can simply open the bag and scoop out what I need.
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