How to make dried breadcrumbs and a few recipes that use them
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Basics | 6 comments
Homemade dried breadcrumbs
90% of people throw out the ingredient for homemade dried breadcrumbs every week. I mean of course stale bread. White bread is best for breadcrumbs and if you include the crusts you will get a good colour in the crumbs.
The bread needs to be dried in a warm place for several days before being turned into breadcrumbs. My mum used to have an oven with a slim drawer at the base to store roasting pans and so on – she used to pop hers in there. I put my bread to dry under the grill/broiler pan. We use our grill to make toast in the morning so the bread is exposed to a gentle heat once a day. Gradually the bread chunks will dry out until they are very light, crisp and easily crushed. Quite a few crusts reduce, when crushed, to just a few handfuls of dried crumbs.
I whizz up my dried bread in the Magimix but putting the chunks in between two clean tea towels and bashing gently with a rolling pin would work well too.
Store your dried breadcrumbs in an airtight jar. They will keep for months and be ready to hand whenever you need them.
A few of our recipes that use dried breadcrumbs:
Recipe for delicious breaded cod
Easy and deluxe recipe for prawn,pak choi and gnocchi supreme
Deluxe macaroni cheese recipe
Veal Schnitzel (Wiener Schnitzel) Recipe
Best ever cauliflower cheese recipe
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Whoops, that should read semi-dry bread
Rubbing the semi-dry with a garlic clove produces wonderfully garlicky breadcrumbs, perfect for your cauliflower cheese recipes and wonderful for garlic lovers…
Hi Annie
I hadn’t even considered the gluten free option. Your idea is perfect. Thank you.
Just wanted to say how touched I was by your Father’s story on your website.
Hi Sandra
That’s interesting. Must try the crumbs first method next time. Thanks!
Thanks Fiona x
I wizz my stale bread in a blender or food processor then spread out on a tray (on top of the microwave oven) to dry in the kitchen. It only take a day or so.
That is also a good tip if you are gluten free. Most shop bought gf breads are fairly naff and the crusts especially. People throw the end slices away. Also you can buy a loaf and when you open it, the whole thing crumbles and again, you throw it away. When gluten free bread costs £2-3.50 for a small loaf, that is a waste in every sense!
Using your tip to dry the bread out, instead people can make their own gf breadcrumbs thus saving on another expensive “free from” purchase.