Making your own homemade croutons and bread crumbs can be easy, fun and economical. You can make them to your own taste and even experiment with different versions.
Use up stale bread or buy specialty bread just to go gourmet. Either way, there is no longer a need to run to the store when you are tossing a salad, breading chicken or topping a casserole.
Homemade Croutons
Choose your favorite bread and cut it into equal sized cubes.
Next, lightly coat the bread cubes in oil. I like to use flavored olive oil.
Sprinkle salt or garlic salt on the bread cubes, or pump up the flavor by tossing them in dry herbs, oil and vinegar salad dressing, etc.
Place the cubes evenly on a baking sheet and bake for a few minutes in a 350 degree oven until they are toasted and golden brown. Make sure to stir them a bit to make sure that they are toasted evenly.
Homemade Bread Crumbs
With homemade bread crumbs, you have to hit the oven first. Place slices or cubes of your favorite bread on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes in a 300 degree oven. This will dry out the bread.
Next, you will need to crush the bread. The easiest way to do this is to use a food processor to make the crumbs. If a food processor isn’t available, you can use the back of a pan or a rolling pin to achieve the same effect.
Now is when it gets fun. You can either leave your bread crumbs plain or season them. Choose Italian seasoning, such as oregano or garlic powder, or other herbs such as thyme.
Homemade Panko Bread Crumbs
Panko bread crumbs are usually preferred by many gourmet cooks. The flaky texture transforms ordinary recipes. It is nice to be able to make your own panko bread crumbs, since they tend to be more expensive than regular bread crumbs in the store.
Fortunately, panko bread crumbs are no hard to make.
Simply place fresh bread in a food processor and pulse it until it is minced.
Next, dry the bread crumbs in a 250 degree oven for a few minutes. Season the panko bread crumbs as you like.