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How do I make breadcrumbs?

by Terry Farris

question
I’m following a recipe from iVillage and it says to add fresh breadcrumbs. I know it’s a silly question, but how do I get fresh breadcrumbs? Do I have to wait until bread is stale then use a rolling pin to crumble it?

answer
A very good question as many recipes, both sweet and savoury, call for fresh breadcrumbs.

You’ve got it half right – the best way to make fresh breadcrumbs is to use stale (but not dried out) bread and whiz it in a food processor until crumbly. A rolling pin would mash the bread flat. The crumbs should still be moist and light.

On the other hand, dried breadcrumbs are made from bread that has been toasted or baked slowly to remove all moisture, then processed to make fine, sand-like crumbs.

Different recipes call for fresh or dried, depending on the desired effect. It may seem like a hassle at the time, but if you have some stale bread (recipes will usually mean white bread unless they specify brown or wholemeal) process all of it and store the crumbs in plastic sandwich bags in the freezer. That way you always have a supply on hand.

It’s easiest using a food processor but if you don’t have one you can also grate the bread on the coarse side of a cheese grater. This takes more time and generally isn’t as effective but still works.

Best wishes,

Terry

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