A Case for Bread Crumbs
The big impact of little things
Sometimes it’s the simplest things that can take a dish over the top. A sprig of parsley. Freshly ground black pepper. A squeeze of lemon. A shower of grated hard cheese. Or a handful of bread crumbs. Especially the bread crumbs.
Bread crumbs are an underrated gift to cooks.
I've been thinking about bread crumbs. I don’t think about them very often and sometimes not at all until I’m making something that requires them - like breading baked ravioli, or binding black bean burgers - and I don’t have any. Because I’ve already committed myself to making a thing that needs bread crumbs - I either need to find a substitute (hello, oats!) or manufacture some bread crumbs quickly.
But the thing is - once the bread crumbs have been made, I LOVE having them in the house. Bread crumbs add texture, crunch, and visual appeal, and I constantly find interesting things to do with them. I sprinkle them on roasted asparagus, stuff peppers with them, and mix them into filling for chile rellenos. I coat goat cheese with them (delicious!) and pan-fry them to toss with pasta (amazing recipe below!). Bread crumbs are a welcome addition anywhere a little bit of crispy goodness is needed.
And here is the other thing - there is really no reason to buy bread crumbs. They are ridiculously easy to make, using something you were probably going to throw away. Those lonely ends of a loaf of bread. The last dried-out piece of a baguette. That artisanal seedy loaf you bought and didn’t finish. Bagels that got too hard to eat. All these things that you might typically feed to the birds - all make fantastic bread crumbs.
How to make bread crumbs
As the ends of your bread get dry and unappetizing, take a minute to cut them into chunks and toss them into the freezer in a Ziploc bag. Don’t bother taking the crusts off. The dark crusty pieces, particularly the ones with seeds, add a ton of nutty flavor and texture to your bread crumbs.
When the bag in the freezer is full of unloved chunks of bread, pull it out and spread the frozen cubes out on a baking sheet. Let them thaw and then dry out a bit. Put the cubes of bread into a food processor or blender and pulse until the big chunks are broken up. Then let the blender run until the bread crumbs are the texture of coarse sand. Use right away and store whatever is left in a closed container in the fridge.
Use dried bread
In a bread crumb emergency, you might consider using fresh bread to make your bread crumbs. Please don’t. Putting fresh, moist bread into the food processor makes a clumpy, unappetizing mess. If the only bread you have is fresh, toast it for a few minutes, then let it cool. Toasting will dry it out enough to make excellent bread crumbs in the blender.
To toast or not to toast
Should bread crumbs be toasted? It depends. If your dish will be baked or fried after you add the bread crumbs, toasting isn’t needed. But if your bread crumbs will be used as a finishing touch, maybe replacing croutons on a salad, toasting your bread crumbs adds an extra pop of flavor and crunch.
Toasting is easy - toss your bread crumbs with a tablespoon of olive oil, some lemon zest, garlic, fresh herbs, and a big pinch of salt Spread them in an even layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes, moving them around on the baking sheet after 8 minutes so they toast evenly. They’re ready when they’re crisp and golden brown.
In case you are wondering what else you could do with your bread crumbs, here are a few ideas:
Sprinkle on pasta - See the recipe below for an example of this!!
Replace croutons on salad
Use to thicken soup
Make veggie burgers or meatballs
Top roasted or sauteed broccoli, asparagus or carrots
Bread tofu sliders or chicken breast before pan-frying
Add a crunchy layer to baked macaroni and cheese
Stuff mushrooms or peppers
Sprinkle over jalapeno poppers
Top lasagna before baking
Mix with grated cheese and herbs to use on almost anything you are baking
Got a favorite way to use bread crumbs? Reply to this email and let me know your ideas. I’d love to hear from you!
Cheers -
Chelly
Chelly@TheGoodFoodProject.co
This week’s recipe - Pasta with Garlic and Bread Crumbs - was recommended to me during a lively conversation about bread crumbs at a one-on-one tamale-making class. It’s an outstanding use of bread crumbs. Thanks, Michael for the suggestion!
