Wednesday, May 29, 2013

DIY Homemade Seasoned Bread crumbs

DIY Homemade Seasoned Bread crumbs


I love bread crumbs. Since I bake more than fry- a good coating for us starts with bread crumbs. Chicken, pork chops, scotch eggs, what ever - a good quality bread crumbs recipe can make or break the flavor. Making my own eliminates the boxed/convenience food problems of added preservatives and or chemical flavorings. Because I'm using up day old pieces of bread, it's frugal and really promoting no extra waste.

One of the best features of making your own bread crumbs is you are not limited in what you use- Homemade bread, white, whole wheat, sourdough, Italian, rye... it simply does not matter. Flavors can pop from trying different breads! The only limit is your imagination!

I have made my own croutons and bread crumbs many times in the past- I would toast bread, and grate it. However I have discovered a new and actually easier way to make my own bread crumbs- I got my own dehydrator! Yay!!!!! Love this thing!

Seasoned Bread Crumbs using the dehydrator

I place in the dehydrator left over bread. Day old is fine- heals are fine! I put the dehydrator on 125F and leave it for a couple of hours- I have a batch going right now- they have been drying for about 4 hours now- I'll check them soon. I want them to be so dry when I pull them out that they crumble easily between my fingers. Drying times can vary depending on the weather- more humid days require more time; also varies due to thickness of the pieces you use.

Once dry, I place the bread into the food processor
 and grind them up into tiny crumbs. If you don't have a food processor- no worries! Place the bread into a zip lock or any bag without holes, and use your rolling pin to crush the bread into crumbs. It's easy and doesn't take that long to do.

I personally like to pour crumbs  into an a recycled Parmesan shaker, adding spices that I want and label it clearly. I find nothing wrong with having a couple shakers- each seasoned differently sitting ready to use!

One of my favorite bread crumb mixes is Italian seasoning (2 tbsp.to each cup of bread crumbs)  added to a shaker of bread crumbs. I mix thoroughly to ensure they shake evenly.

Another excellent addition is garlic and onion flakes (1 tbsp. each to each cup of bread crumbs).  I personally like a an added tbsp of dried parsley with this. Gives it a nice color.

To spice things up you can add 1 tbsp. chili powder; or a combination of cayenne, paprika, and cumin. Adding in dried red pepper flakes would be a colorful addition to the heat. Use your imagination and tastes to create!

A friend of mine mixes in Parmesan cheese with bread crumbs- 1:1 ration. When I tried this- it served as an awesome touch sprinkled over Au Gratin potatoes, baked Zitti, or Lasagna! Yay!

On an added note!
For my readers who prefer to store using only glass, I love the fact the lid to a Parmesan Shaker fit perfectly to a regular mouth canning jar!!!!! Yay!  :)


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