Breadcrumbs are so easy to make, there is no reason to keep buying them from the store. The heel of the bread will finally have a purpose in life. You will no longer waste stale bread. All thanks to homemade breadcrumbs.
The site may contain links to affiliate websites, and we receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As a Revive EO Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Why Does Bread Have a Heel?
As a kid, I remember asking myself why bread had a heel if nobody liked that part. If that doesn’t show you how far removed we are from food production, I don’t know what does. We would toss the heel outside for the dog or the birds. Once in a great while it was put on a sandwich much to my dismay. Even as an adult, I refuse to eat the heel of the bread.
I have been on a quest to take back my food production for the sake of my health. My finances, cooking skills, and husband have all benefited as well. It feels very wasteful to toss out the heels of a loaf of homemade sourdough bread. I work so hard to make the loaf, that I don’t want to waste any of it. So I learned to make homemade breadcrumbs for my meatloaf!
Pin it for Later!
Making Homemade Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
Bread
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Lay out your bread in a single layer. You can use stale bread, the heels of the bread, or regular fresh slices. Truly any unseasoned bread will work. I’ve even done this with hot dog and hamburger buns.
- Put the bread in the oven until it is completely dry. This could take 4-8 hours depending on how dry the bread was to begin with. I normally put it in the oven in the morning and remember sometime in the evening.
- Then you can crumble the dry bread. For larger batches, I’ll use the food processor. Small batches, I will crush with the mortar and pestle.
Storing Homemade Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs are best kept in the freezer. This will prevent mold and moisture from ruining them. I keep a gallon, plastic bag in the freezer that I can add the crumbs to as I make them.
I also keep a plastic bag of bread that is destined to become homemade breadcrumbs in the freezer. Once the bag is full, I can toss it all in the oven to make breadcrumbs. This works well for us as a family of 2 that only goes through one loaf of bread per week. Larger families may have more than 2 heels a week and need to make breadcrumbs weekly.
Using Homemade Breadcrumbs
These homemade breadcrumbs can be used just like the store bought ones. I use them when I make homemade meatloaf. We also use them to coat chicken and fish before frying it. Any recipe that calls for breadcrumbs can utilize this homemade version.
Homemade Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs are so easy to make, there is no reason to keep buying them from the store. The heel of the bread will finally have a purpose in life. You will no longer waste stale bread. All thanks to homemade breadcrumbs.
Ingredients
- Bread
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Lay out your bread in a single layer. You can use stale bread, the heels of the bread, or regular fresh slices. Truly any unseasoned bread will work. I’ve even done this with hot dog and hamburger buns.
- Put the bread in the oven until it is completely dry. This could take 4-8 hours depending on how dry the bread was to begin with. I normally put it in the oven in the morning and remember sometime in the evening.
- Then you can crumble the dry bread. For larger batches, I’ll use the food processor. Small batches, I will crush with the mortar and pestle.
The site may contain links to affiliate websites, and we receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As a Revive EO Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Leave a Reply