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How to Make Breadcrumbs
Homemade breadcrumbs are one of those little kitchen staples I always like having tucked away in the freezer. They’re incredibly easy to make, perfect for using up leftover bread or crusts, and you’ve got complete control over exactly what goes into them. For me, that’s especially useful when gluten free and soy free options aren’t always as straightforward as they should be.
A Little Disclaimer:
I always use natural light when I photograph my recipes, but today that natural light decided to get a little bit excited. So, unfortunately, we have some really terrible photos today. The breadcrumbs are still delicious, even if the lighting was determined to make photographing them as difficult as possible.
Homemade Breadcrumbs
I make homemade breadcrumbs whenever I have leftover bread that needs using, because they’re quick, practical and far better than letting good bread go to waste. This easy breadcrumb recipe shows you how to turn fresh or stale bread into fine crumbs for coating chicken, topping pasta bakes, binding meatballs or adding crunch to vegetables. Once you know how to make breadcrumbs at home, it’s one of those simple kitchen basics you’ll keep coming back to.
Ingredients
- Bread (sliced, any variety)
- A baking tray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 100°C (conventional).
- Place the bread slices on a baking tray. It doesn't matter if they overlap slightly.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes, checking at the 45 minute mark to make sure there are no soft spots remaining. Rearrange the bread if needed for even drying.
- Once completely dry and crisp, transfer to a food processor or mini chopper and blitz until you reach your preferred crumb size. Pulse for a chunky crumb or blitz longer for a fine crumb.
Notes
- Homemade breadcrumbs are far superior to anything you'll buy in a packet. They're fresher, more flavourful, and you can control exactly how fine or chunky you want them.
- Any bread works here. White bread gives you a neutral, fine crumb. Sourdough gives a more rustic, flavourful result. Stale bread works brilliantly and is the best way to use up a loaf that's past its best.
- Low and slow is the key. You're not toasting the bread, you're drying it out completely. A low oven temperature ensures the bread dries evenly without taking on any colour.
- Check for soft spots at the 45 minute mark. Any remaining moisture means the breadcrumbs will go stale and clump together in storage rather than staying dry and free-flowing.
- I use this food processor for breadcrumbs. It gives you an even, consistent crumb in seconds without overworking the dried bread.
- For a chunky crumb, pulse 3-4 times. For a fine crumb, blitz continuously for 20-30 seconds. The choice depends on what you're using them for.
- For seasoned breadcrumbs, add a pinch of garlic salt, dried herbs, or grated Parmesan to the food processor before blitzing.
- Store in an airtight container or zip-lock bag at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Frozen breadcrumbs can be used straight from the freezer without defrosting.
What I Cook With
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Serve this with
- Use them to make my Halloumi Schnitzel, where the breadcrumbs create that crisp golden coating around the salty halloumi. Add garlic salt to the crumb for even more flavour.
- Turn them into the crunchy topping for my Baked Cod with Chorizo Crumb. The breadcrumbs soak up the smoky chorizo oils and combine with Parmesan for a crisp, savoury finish.
- Use them to coat my Haggis Bon Bons before frying. Mixed with Parmesan and paprika, the breadcrumbs give the bon bons their crisp shell while keeping the centre soft and rich.
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Utility Recipes and Why I Make My Own
Being gluten free with a soy allergy is a bit like living life on moderately hard mode. Yes, plenty of people have it tougher than I do, but it does mean I tend to make a lot of my utility recipes myself. And by utility recipe, I simply mean one of those basic kitchen recipes that isn’t really a meal on its own, but becomes an ingredient or building block for loads of other things. Think roasted garlic, caramelised onions, mayonnaise, or in this case, breadcrumbs. They’re the little things I like having ready so cooking everything else becomes easier.
As someone who loves schnitzel, having proper breadcrumbs around is basically a necessity. I do use fresh breadcrumbs in recipes like meatballs and sausage rolls, where I want them soft enough to disappear into the mixture and keep everything tender. Schnitzel is different. For that, I want dry breadcrumbs with enough texture to create a proper crisp coating. And when you make them yourself, you’ve got complete control over the bread you start with. White, wholemeal, sourdough, seeded, grainy, whatever works for you and whatever you actually enjoy eating.
I tend to make a batch every month or so, divide it into portions, and keep them in the freezer ready for whenever I need them. Most of the time I use the crusts left over from my gluten free bread, whether that’s my beloved Warburtons Tiger Loaf or the Abbott’s Bakery gluten free Rustic White I buy more regularly. It means the crusts aren’t wasted, I’m never stuck without breadcrumbs when the schnitzel craving hits, and I know exactly what has gone into them. Today, I made this batch using half a cob loaf that had been sitting in my freezer taking up room. It was already past the point where I wanted to eat it as bread, but it was perfect for breadcrumbs. I let it thaw, sliced it up using my new bread knife from Xinzuo.Very simple, very useful, and exactly why I love these little utility recipes so much.
A Very Useful Non-Recipe
Last weekend I didn’t post a recipe. Oops. I had recipes planned, but Coles didn’t have the ingredients I needed, and this weekend I simply cannot be bothered making what I’d originally planned either. So instead, we’re doing breadcrumbs while I spend some time rephotographing a few older recipes. Honestly, I think this is exactly why utility recipes are so useful for the blog too. They’re things I genuinely make all the time, they answer a very specific kitchen question, and they don’t require me to invent an elaborate dinner when I’m not particularly in the mood.
The method itself couldn’t be easier. I dry the bread gently in the oven first, just enough to remove the moisture without turning it deeply toasted, then let it cool before blitzing it into crumbs. That gives me the dry, crisp texture I want for coating schnitzel without adding loads of extra toasted flavour. Once they’re done, I portion the breadcrumbs out and freeze them, so there’s always a bag ready when I need one. It’s one of those tiny bits of preparation that future me is always grateful for.
And I like that making my own means I’m not limited to whatever gluten free breadcrumb option happens to be sitting on the supermarket shelf. Some are too fine, some are oddly flavoured, and some contain ingredients I’d rather avoid. This way, I’m starting with bread I already know I like, and it saves me money as well. It’s hardly glamorous cooking, but neither is discovering you’ve got chicken ready for schnitzel and absolutely nothing suitable to coat it with. I’d rather spend a few minutes making a batch now and avoid that particular disappointment later.
Hot Pot, Gallery Walls and a Quiet Little Life
Last weekend was a bit of a write-off anyway because I was feeling pretty miserable after accidentally eating soy. Thankfully, Saturday was much nicer. Mum, my little sister, and I went out for hot pot, which was exactly the kind of easy family day I needed. I also placed a massive order for artwork for the gallery wall I’m putting together above my television. Nothing fancy or expensive, just lots of pieces I love that’ll make the flat feel even more like me. I’m very much a maximalist, so an enormous blank wall was never going to survive indefinitely.
That little project has been giving me something fun to fuss over while life is otherwise fairly quiet. I spend an unreasonable amount of time moving things around at home, deciding one corner needs more colour, or finding another object that apparently absolutely needs to live on a shelf. If you want to see the cooking as it happens, the gallery wall slowly coming together, or approximately seventeen photographs of Lulu being handsome, my Instagram is where most of that ends up. The blog gets the finished recipes. Instagram gets the actual chaos around them.
And honestly, that’s about all I’ve got to report.The date yesterday didn’t go too well, there’s no enormous life event this particular weekend, just me making breadcrumbs, sorting out old recipe photos, buying art, seeing my family, and living my calmest little life. After some of the years I’ve had, I’m not going to complain about that. I’ve got Lulu supervising the flat, plenty of books waiting to be read, recipes constantly multiplying in my notes, and a freezer now stocked with breadcrumbs. It’s not exactly riveting gossip, but it feels lovely from where I’m sitting. Sometimes a quiet weekend and a well-stocked freezer are more than enough.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use any type of bread? Yes. White bread gives you a neutral, fine crumb that works well as a coating. Sourdough produces a more rustic, flavourful result with a slightly coarser texture. Stale bread is actually ideal because the moisture has already started to leave it, which means less time in the oven. The only bread worth avoiding is anything with a very high moisture content like a fresh, dense rye loaf, which will take considerably longer to dry out completely.
Why such a low oven temperature? You’re drying the bread out rather than toasting it, and low heat is what achieves that without the bread taking on any colour. A higher temperature would toast the outside before the inside is fully dry, which means your breadcrumbs will have soft, moist pockets that cause them to clump together in storage rather than staying free-flowing and dry.
How do I know when the bread is ready to blitz? It should be completely crisp and dry all the way through with no soft spots remaining when you press it. Check at the forty-five minute mark and rearrange any pieces that haven’t dried evenly. Any residual moisture means the finished breadcrumbs will go stale and clump rather than staying dry and free-flowing.
Ingredient breakdown
Sliced bread
Any variety works and the choice affects the character of the finished crumb. White bread produces a neutral, fine crumb that suits coatings where you don’t want the breadcrumb to add its own flavour. Sourdough gives a more rustic, slightly tangy result that works particularly well scattered over baked pasta dishes or gratins. Stale bread is the best use case here because it’s already lost some of its moisture and dries out faster in the oven. This is also one of the most practical ways to use up a loaf that’s past its best rather than throwing it away. The bread goes into a low oven whole, dried out completely before it goes anywhere near the food processor.
