Learn how to make sourdough breadcrumbs at home quickly and easily without the nasties or spending money on literal crumbs. It's also a great way tao save on food waste.
Do you buy breadcrumbs?
If you do, you’re literally paying good money for crumbs right?
To me it seems like a bit of a waste, plus, buying them there’s usually a bit more in that packet than good old flour and water (and maybe a bit of salt and oil) that you should find in bread.
In fact if you take a look at the back of a box of Krummies (a popular brand of store-bought breadcrumbs in Australia) this is what you’ll find:
Ingredients: Wheat Flour, Wholemeal Wheat Flour, Baker’s Yeast, Eye Flour, Rye Meal, Vegetable Fibre, Gluten, Salt, Canola Oil, Mixed Grains (Kibbled Rye, Kibbled Wheat, Granary Malt Wheat Flakes, Kibbled Corn, Buckwheat, Triticale, Kibbled Barley, Rolled Oats, Kibbled Maize), Wheat Bran, Oat Bran, Mixed Seeds (Linseed, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Poppy Seeds) Kibbled Soy, Soy Flour, White Spelt Flour, Vinegar, Roasted Malt Flour (Barley, Wheat), Vegetable Gum (412), Sugar, Emulsifiers (481, 472e, 471), Raising Agents (500, 450), Preservatives (282, 200), Molasses, Milk Solids, Honey, Tuna Oil, Vitamins (Folic Acid, Thiamin).
Allergens: Contains Rye, Contains Sesame Seeds, Contains Barley, Contains Fish, Contains Wheat, Contains Soy, Contains Milk, Contains Gluten, Contains Oats
Seriously what the?!?
There’s tuna oil in that.
I bet if you were making some chicken nuggets for a friend who was allergic to seafood you wouldn’t even consider that the crumbs could have tuna oil in them!
Really that’s what the reality is with a lot of processed food these days.
It may contain what you think you’re buying but the chances are pretty high that it also contains a lot of ingredients that you don’t want to be feeding your body.
That’s why, wherever possible I make things from scratch and this is especially so for the super simple things like bread crumbs.
Once a week (or sometimes twice) we make sourdough or buy a loaf of sourdough bread from our local bakery.
It lives on the chopping board on our bench and we slice it as we go.
Invariably, the kids want their crust off their bread slices so I leave them on the board to dry out and then pop them in the bag ready to give them a new life.
Once I have at least a cup of them, I make a batch of homemade sourdough breadcrumbs and use it right away in something like my best ever chicken nuggets, or I pop them in a glass jar (or bag) and into the freezer.
Ingredients
To make homemade bread crumbs you will need:
- Sourdough bread - you can use stale bread, leftover sourdough bread or even fresh sourdough bread
Instructions
Homemade sourdough breadcrumbs can be made a few different ways.
Firstly you need to dry the bread. You can do this a number of ways:
- In the toaster on low temperature.
- In the oven (also on low temperature).
- Let it dry out naturally on a wire rack.
The next step is to grind the dried bread pieces into crumbs:
- Food processor - put your small pieces of dry bread in the bowl of a food processor or Thermomix and pulse bread cubes into bread crumbs. This is the method to use if you want finer crumbs.
- Ziploc bag - this way will result in coarse crumbs. Pop the dried bread in a ziplock bag and wrap in a tea towel then bash with a rolling pin until it forms crumbs. A freezer bag can also be used.
Uses
- Brocolli and cauliflower tots
- Moroccan lamb meatballs
- Melanzane Ripiene (stuffed eggplant)
- Haloumi stuffed coconut chicken nuggets
- Sausage rolls and scrolls
- Meatballs in tomato and pea sauce
What if I can’t wait for the bread to dry (or we eat our crusts)?
If you always eat your crusts or you don’t have a day or two to let the crusts dry out then you can always speed up the process by drying the bread or crusts in the oven.
If you want to use bread, slice it finely and place it in a single layer on an oven tray or rack and bake at 100C fan-forced for about 30 minutes or until it is crunchy and golden brown.
Do the same if you’re using crusts and want them to dry out quickly.
Can you use regular bread or another type of bread?
Absolutely, you can use whatever bread you like for this recipe they'll just be regular breadcrumbs instead of sourdough breadcrumbs.
White bread, wholewheat bread or multigrain or even types of gluten free breads are also great.
In our house, we prefer stale sourdough bread as it goes through a fermentation process and the gluten has already been partially digested by the good bacteria so it’s better for your gut health.
Flavour ideas
You sure can. We like to throw flavour into the food processor with the stale bread.
A few flavour ideas:
- Garlic powder (or fresh garlic if you're using the crumbs right away.
- Italian seasoning
- Lemon zest (really good for crumbing fish or making fish cakes)
- Onion powder
- Parmesan cheese (really good on chicken tenders)
- Your favorite seasonings
Storage
Homemade breadcrumbs must be stored in an airtight container preferably in the fridge or freezer.
FAQs
Yes you can freeze homemade sourdough bread crumbs. Freeze them in a ziploc bag, a container or a jar.
Panko bread crumbs and regular bread crumbs are slightly different. Panko result in a crunchier finish if you're crumbing something.
You can make your own panko crumbs with sourdough bread. Rather than processing it after drying the bread, you take the crusts off then use your fingers to crumb the bread.
Then spread it onto a baking sheet and bake at a low temperature until completely dry.
Recipe
How to make sourdough breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dried bread cut into pieces no more than 2cm thick
Instructions
- Place the bread in the bowl of a Thermomix or food processor and process on high until fine.
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