I'm not one of those people who gets excited about the idea of homemade staples. You'll never see me making my own yogurt or processing nuts for my own nut butters - that's why the grocery stores were invented, right? But homemade breadcrumbs are an exception. These hearty, crispy crumbles are so incredibly easy that by the time I stop and think "Wait, why didn't I just buy these?" I'm nearly done. They're great sprinkled on top of pasta for extra crunch, tossed with roasted veggies or mixed with mustard and pressed onto fish before baking.
1 Start with a loaf (or half a loaf) of white bread. Slightly stale is ideal!
2 Break the bread up into chunks (or scoop out the soft inside and just use that). In batches, pulse them in a food processor until they're a size you like.
3 Since store bought breadcrumbs are so finely crumbled, I like to make mine a bit chunkier for that rustic, homemade feeling.
4 Toast breadcrumbs in a 300 degree oven until they're slightly browned and crunchy.
5 Store them in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
6 My favorite way to use them is to sautee them with butter and coarse salt...
7 ... And sprinkle on top of pasta and veggies for a little toasty, buttery carb-on-carb action.
From: Miranda | 12/17/10 at 3:29 pm
A little weird that someone who hates the idea of "homemade" is writing for Martha Stewart! Haha
I love the idea - of these breadcrumbs, that is. I really don't like grocery store packaged breadcrumbs. These look delicious.