Learn how to make breadcrumbs, fresh or dried, with or without a food processor. The recipe for homemade Italian breadcrumbs is included.
Making breadcrumbs without a food processor is quick and easy. Use the breadcrumbs to make some chocolate breadcrumb bread, cheese dumplings, or chicken nuggets to serve with Mc Donald's sweet and sour sauce.
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- How to make breadcrumbs at home?
- What bread to use to make breadcrumbs?
- How to make breadcrumbs without a food processor?
- How to make breadcrumbs with a food processor?
- Immersion blender
- How to make Italian breadcrumbs at home?
- How to store breadcrumbs?
- And here are some recipes using some of these breadcrumbs
- Recipe
- How to Make Breadcrumbs (With or Without Food Processor)
How to make breadcrumbs at home?
Did you ever make your own breadcrumbs? I do it all the time; I think I haven't bought any in years. Well, except Panko, they are something else.
I don’t usually buy regular dried or fresh breadcrumbs. Even though they’re good and inexpensive, I prefer making my own when I have leftover bread. I don’t like to waste food.
You can make two types of breadcrumbs: dried or fresh. And you can prepare them using either a food processor or by hand.
What bread to use to make breadcrumbs?
Use any leftover bread you have. For recipes needing fresh white breadcrumbs, buy white bread and leave it out for a day or so. Otherwise, use regular mixed bread, which has a blend of whole wheat, white, rye, and whole wheat flour. Leftover toast works well, too.
Avoid using supermarket-sliced bread that is very soft, fluffy, and sweet. If you do use it, mix it with a more flavorful bread to balance out the sweetness.
How to make breadcrumbs without a food processor?
Dried breadcrumbs:
- Step #1: Slice the bread and cut it into small cubes. Leave the crust on.
- Step #2: Place the cubes on a tray and leave the tray on the counter until they are completely dry and hard.
- Step #3: Place small batches of the dried bread cubes into good-quality freezer bags.
- Step #4: Close the bag, set it on a hard surface, and crush the bread with the bottom of a heavy pan or a sturdy rolling pin.
Fresh breadcrumbs:
- Step #1: Place the sliced bread in freezer bags and freeze until solid, at least 2-3 hours or longer. You can freeze bread leftovers if you plan to make fresh breadcrumbs sometime in the future.
- Step #2: Once the bread is frozen, grate the slices on the grater.
How to make breadcrumbs with a food processor?
Dried breadcrumbs: I usually make them out of stale bread. The easiest way is to use a good food processor. Make sure that the processor can cope with dry bread. I use a Thermomix.
- Step #1: Cube and dry the bread as instructed above.
- Step #2: Once the pieces are dry, place them in the food processor in small batches. Don't fill the food processor too much; smaller batches are better. This will also allow you to control the degree of coarseness; you can decide if they should be finer or coarser. Pulse until you have achieved the desired consistency.
Fresh breadcrumbs: Use bread that is 1-2 days old without letting it become completely dry. Break or cut it into smaller pieces, place it in the food processor, and pulse to achieve the desired coarseness.
Immersion blender
You can also use a good immersion blender; however, when making the dried breadcrumbs, I prefer to use a stronger food processor. I always worry about the blender not being able to cope with the dried bread. When using the stick blender, only process small batches at a time.
How to make Italian breadcrumbs at home?
Add fine sea salt, pepper, and herbs.
You could either use a ready Italian herb mixture or just add salt, pepper, and maybe some onion and garlic powder. Or the typical dried Italian herbs like oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, and parsley.
For a French breadcrumb seasoning, mix about 1 cup of breadcrumbs with about 1 ½ teaspoons of Herbs de Provence, salt, and pepper.
How to store breadcrumbs?
Fresh homemade breadcrumbs will be ok for several days in the refrigerator. They should be stored in airtight containers.
Freeze: If you have a larger quantity, place them (either plain or seasoned) into freezer bags, flatten them in the bag (you should not have a lump), close the bags well, and place them in the freezer. They will keep for several months.
Whenever you need some, take the required quantity out of the bag and let them thaw on the counter for a few minutes; they will defrost very quickly.
Dried homemade breadcrumbs will keep for several weeks at room temperature, stored in an airtight container.
They will also keep longer if frozen. Pack, defrost, and use just as described above.
And here are some recipes using some of these breadcrumbs
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How to Make Breadcrumbs (With or Without Food Processor)
Ingredients
Dried breadcrumbs:
- stale bread mixed bread: rye, whole wheat, white flour or white bread
Fresh breadcrumbs:
- 1-2 days old bread mixed bread: rye, whole wheat, white flour or white bread or as required by the recipe
Italian breadcrumbs:
- 1 cup dried breadcrumbs or 1 ½ to 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme optional
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary optional
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Dried breadcrumbs:
- Dry the bread: Cut the stale bread into small cubes. Spread the cubes onto a baking tray and let them on the counter until completely dry, preferably overnight.stale bread
- With food processor: Place the bread cubes into the food processor. If you have a larger quantity of bread, process the bread cubes in several batches. Pulse until you achieve the desired degree of coarseness.
- Without the food processor: Place the bread cubes (in batches) into good-quality freezer bags. Seal the bag and crush the bread with the bottom of a frying pan or a sturdy rolling pin.
- Keep in airtight containers at room temperature for several weeks. If frozen, the breadcrumbs keep for several months. Remove the required quantity from the freezer bag and let defrost for a few minutes on the counter.
Fresh breadcrumbs:
- With food processor: Break or cut the bread into smaller pieces. Pulse in the food processor to achieve the desired level of coarseness.1-2 days old bread
- Without the food processor, place the bread pieces into a freezer bag and freeze for about 2-3 hours or until ready to use. Grate the frozen bread slices on a grater.
- Store fresh breadcrumbs airtight in the fridge for several days. If frozen, the breadcrumbs keep for several months. Remove the required quantity from the freezer bag and let defrost for a few minutes on the counter.
Italian breadcrumbs:
- Mix one cup of dried breadcrumbs or 1 ½ to 2 cups of fresh breadcrumbs with the rest of the listed spices and herbs.1 cup dried breadcrumbs or 1 ½ to 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs + ¼ teaspoon dried oregano + ¼ teaspoon dried basil + ¼ teaspoon dried parsley + ¼ teaspoon dried thyme + ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary + ½ teaspoon garlic powder + ¼ teaspoon onion powder + ½ teaspoon sea salt + ½ teaspoon black pepper
Carmel says
Really useful and very clear. Thanks.