Better Than Store-Bought Breadcrumbs
There’s only one ingredient for these delicious and toasty crumbs, bread.
Making your own breadcrumbs is a cinch. Simply take day-old sandwich bread, toast it, and pulse it in a food processor. The process is refreshingly uncomplicated, and the end result is worth the minimal effort. Once you've tasted the rich, toasty flavor of homemade breadcrumbs, the store-bought variety just won't cut it. The quality of the bread is key; using leftover, slightly stale homemade bread ensures a superior flavor profile that store-bought breadcrumbs simply can't match. By starting with the best bread, you're guaranteed the best breadcrumbs.
Preheat the oven to 325°F . Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil, put aside.
Cut your day old bread into cubes, make sure that all the cubes are roughly the same size. This ensures that the bread toasts evenly in the oven.
Place your cubed bread on your lined baking sheet in a single layer. You want to make sure that the bread is in a single layer so the bread toasts properly. If you just pile the bread cubes into clumps, the bread will end up steaming and not get toasty.
Bake the cubes for 15 minutes before turn the bread cubes so the other side gets browned. Bake for another 10-15 minutes. The bread cubes should be golden and will no longer be soft, you want them to be hard to the touch and be able to crumble when handled. The baking or more like drying process is very important. If there is any moisture left in the bread your bread crumbs will actually spoil and start to develop mold. No one wants moldy breadcrumbs!
Once toasted and dry, let the bread cubes cool completely on the pan.
When completely cooled, place the toasted bread cubes in a food processor and pulse until you get your desired bread crumb size. I pulse mine until the bread crumbs are pretty fine but don’t let my preference limit you. Please experiment with what crumb size you prefer. Yes, bread crumbs don’t have to always be a fine granule. So please have fun with it! You never know what will be your new favorite.
Store your bread crumbs in a glass jar or storage container. Keep your toasty bread crumbs in your pantry until you are ready to use.