When I started making my own homemade organic breadcrumbs, it wasn’t because I wanted to. It really came about because I couldn’t find any organic brands in the store (however you can order them online through Amazon or Vitacost). I still use store bought when I need to for larger dishes and I have the time to plan and go shopping.
However, the below recipe has been used on many occasions when I’ve got all the ingredients out on the table and realize there are no breadcrumbs in the pantry.
When I don’t have any stale bread reserved for the task (I’m not a good planner when it comes to cooking), I grab about 4 slices, throw them in the toaster oven, wait, let them cool, then blend them up. Still takes a little bit of time, but fast than running to the store.. and I get my organic breadcrumbs.
Taking the time to make your own homemade organic breadcrumbs is not hard or difficult, or even time consuming at all. There are basically two ways and I’ll highlight the fastest one in this article (watch my video below).
Old School Method (takes longer) for Breadcrumbs
The first method is to take bread and let it go stale over time. You can do this by leaving it out in the open on a pan like a cookie sheet or something of the like.
Cover it with cloth to keep dust off and let it remain until it gets hard through and through. Put it through a blender and there you have it.
The problem is this can take at least a few days depending on the type of bread.
How to Make Organic Breadcrumbs Quickly
Sometimes we need breadcrumbs for a recipe, such as my Italian breaded chicken recipe, or even my simple pasta with breadcrumbs recipe, we discover we don’t have any.
We can’t obviously wait days so to quickly make organic breadcrumbs all you need to do is slice the bread and bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes, flipping half way through.
Make sure not to burn and that all moisture is removed.
Break the toasted/baked bread into small pieces and add them a blender or food processor such as a nutribullet or Cuisinart to blend.
Store in an air tight container.
Quick Recipe Video:
Recipe Tips:
Here are some of my tips I think anyone would find helpful:
- If you have a toaster oven, I find that the toasting setting will dry it out enough, unlike a regular pop up toaster. I toast on a low setting a few times so to not make the bread burn.
- Make sure you let the bread cool down before blending otherwise the moisture will cause the crumbs to clump
- Use organic bread and then you’ll end up with organic breadcrumbs
- Add in any salt and pepper to suit your tastes – even your own Italian herbs to make fresh Italian breadcrumbs! (dried of course)
Happy cooking!
Liz
Instructions
- Use the bread of your choice. I use whatever I have on hand, sometimes its a baguette or sometimes its just sliced whole wheat bread.
- Bake in the oven or toaster oven until it is obviously dried out (not burnt). I'd recommend about 350F if baking in an oven for about 10-15 minutes – you might have to flip it half way through. *see tip below*
- When finished, let cool so no moisture is in the bread
- Break into smaller pieces (if you can tear them and there is no crunch, they aren't toasted enough)
- When done, use for your recipe or store in air tight container
