I just whizzed a batch of white bread into breadcrumbs but the crumbs seems really soft. Should I lightly toast them before using?
Jessica Fisher
You can if you want a crispier texture, like if you’re breading chicken or something. Fresh breadcrumbs will absorb liquid and act as a binder in meatballs and meatloaves just as well as dry breadcrumbs (what you buy in the store). It’s really up to you.
Jo
I think this advice is going to be ace. I just tried some Panko breadcrumbs for roasting some chicken thighs but they were awful! I’d previously dipped them in just plain bread crumbs (I blitz all my stale bread and freeze it) but that wasn’t very good either. So I shall take your advice, Jessica and blitz my breadcrumbs for ages before I toast them in the oven! I think that only doing a small quantity each time and leaving the rest in the freezer would be a good idea, don’t you?
Jessica Fisher
Yep. Sounds like a good plan.
Deborah Jennings
Jessica, I dry my bread before making crumbs out of it. I either lay it out on a cooling rack covered with a cloth, or pit it in the oven as low as it will go, or put it in the dehydrator.
I have added Italian seasoning to my bread crumbs, too.
I was just wondering how to dry my bread. Lots of half-eaten bags of buns and bread tossed into my freezer around here. And I wanted to take some of my Udi GF bread and make my own batch of meatballs.
Deborah
The way I dry mine is to turn the oven on as low as it will go. Place bread on a cookie sheet and place in the oven. Turn over after about 10 minutes. Dry until crisp.
My mother used to take stale bread cut it in points, 4 triangles per slice. She would put a little garlic butter on the bread points before baking. She made a cheese dip that had no tomatoes. It had Velveta cheese, real mayonnaise, and chopped jalapeño peppers in it. You need either a food processor, or a blender to make this. In a blender, mix small amounts at a time. In a food processor, you can do larger amounts. For the big size of Velveta, she used a pint of mayo. Jalapeños, as many as desired. We don’t like it real not. Oh, and use the pickled peppers. Add a little of the pepper juice if too thick. This is great and when refrigerated, will last a long time due to the vinegar in the pepper liquid.
Jessica Fisher
I pulled out all those random bags of ends today and am making a ginormous batch of croutons. Might make them cinnamon sugar. Then they’ll be gone in about ten minutes.
Kerrie
I just whizzed a batch of white bread into breadcrumbs but the crumbs seems really soft. Should I lightly toast them before using?
Jessica Fisher
You can if you want a crispier texture, like if you’re breading chicken or something. Fresh breadcrumbs will absorb liquid and act as a binder in meatballs and meatloaves just as well as dry breadcrumbs (what you buy in the store). It’s really up to you.
Jo
I think this advice is going to be ace. I just tried some Panko breadcrumbs for roasting some chicken thighs but they were awful! I’d previously dipped them in just plain bread crumbs (I blitz all my stale bread and freeze it) but that wasn’t very good either. So I shall take your advice, Jessica and blitz my breadcrumbs for ages before I toast them in the oven! I think that only doing a small quantity each time and leaving the rest in the freezer would be a good idea, don’t you?
Jessica Fisher
Yep. Sounds like a good plan.
Deborah Jennings
Jessica, I dry my bread before making crumbs out of it. I either lay it out on a cooling rack covered with a cloth, or pit it in the oven as low as it will go, or put it in the dehydrator.
I have added Italian seasoning to my bread crumbs, too.
Jessica
@Deborah Jennings, that’s a great idea. Thanks.
Annie
I was just wondering how to dry my bread. Lots of half-eaten bags of buns and bread tossed into my freezer around here. And I wanted to take some of my Udi GF bread and make my own batch of meatballs.
Deborah
The way I dry mine is to turn the oven on as low as it will go. Place bread on a cookie sheet and place in the oven. Turn over after about 10 minutes. Dry until crisp.
My mother used to take stale bread cut it in points, 4 triangles per slice. She would put a little garlic butter on the bread points before baking. She made a cheese dip that had no tomatoes. It had Velveta cheese, real mayonnaise, and chopped jalapeño peppers in it. You need either a food processor, or a blender to make this. In a blender, mix small amounts at a time. In a food processor, you can do larger amounts. For the big size of Velveta, she used a pint of mayo. Jalapeños, as many as desired. We don’t like it real not. Oh, and use the pickled peppers. Add a little of the pepper juice if too thick. This is great and when refrigerated, will last a long time due to the vinegar in the pepper liquid.
Jessica Fisher
I pulled out all those random bags of ends today and am making a ginormous batch of croutons. Might make them cinnamon sugar. Then they’ll be gone in about ten minutes.