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Fresh Bread Crumbs

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Makes 3 to 4 cups 1x

Time 10 minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • About 8 ounces good-quality bread, preferably a day or 2 old

Instructions

  1. Tear the bread into pieces and put about half in a food processor. Pulse a few times, then let the machine run for a few seconds until coarsely chopped.
  2. Remove and repeat with the remaining bread. Use immediately or store in an airtight container for up to a month.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything: Completely Revised Twentieth Anniversary Edition 

Recipe variations

Toasted Bread Crumbs
After grinding, spread the bread crumbs on a baking sheet. Bake in a 350°F oven, shaking the pan occasionally, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes; store these the same way as fresh. Alternatively, toast fresh bread crumbs just before using them.

Fried Bread Crumbs
These are delicious; seasoning sticks to them better than uncoated bread crumbs, but they don’t keep as well, so use them immediately after frying: For every cup of bread crumbs, heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. When it’s hot, add the crumbs and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt or any spice mixture and drain on towels; use immediately.

Nutty Bread Crumbs
Add 1/2 cup cashews, almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts to the food processor along with the bread. The yield will be a little more than 4 cups. Toast or fry as in the previous variations if you’d like, or not.