Homemade Sourdough Bread Crumbs
Making sourdough bread crumbs is the best way to transform your day-old, stale sourdough into an elevated pantry staple! Bread crumbs provide essential crunch, texture, and structure to homemade meals. They’re lovely to have on hand, and beautifully simple to make!
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You’ve baked a beautiful loaf of sourdough bread, and after a few days, it’s gone stale.
If you’ve ever wondered what to do with a loaf of stale sourdough bread, don’t throw it out! Instead, repurpose it by making your own sourdough breadcrumbs.
Once you realize how simple it is to make delicious homemade breadcrumbs, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start making them sooner!
Why You’ll Love Homemade Sourdough Breadcrumbs
- Quick and easy – Learning how to make bread crumbs from sourdough bread is so simple, you’ll be glad to add this skill to your kitchen routine. With just a little bit of time and minimal effort, you’ll turn stale bread pieces into lovely, crunchy bread crumbs, a versatile ingredient you can use in many dishes!
- Delicious – Real food just tastes better! And these delicious breadcrumbs are no exception!
- Nutritious – Store-bought breadcrumbs are filled with preservatives to help them remain shelf-stable. By making them yourselves, not only do you find a way to use leftover bread, but you also eliminate more preservatives.
- Reduce food waste – My grandma had a saying when it came to food, “Use it, or you’ll lose it.” As a child of the depression, she had different, creative ways of making more out of less. One of her habits was to make every bit of food useful. She’d fully support learning how to make your homemade sourdough bread crumbs from stale bread.
- Versatile – A perk of making food yourself is that you can customize it the way you like it. For example, you can make coarse crumbs for a salad topping or fine, smaller crumbs for breading chicken tenders.
What Bread is Best for Bread Crumbs?
The beauty of making your own breadcrumbs is that you can use whatever type of bread you have on hand! I am a big fan of using my sourdough bread recipe. It’s what I bake regularly and has a delicious flavor. Other favorites are sourdough sandwich bread, leftover focaccia bread, and honey oat bread. Again, use whatever you have on hand and keep it simple. There’s nothing to overcomplicate when making breadcrumbs. They are wonderfully foolproof!
Collect the ends of bread that everyone passes over in a Ziploc bag and keep in the freezer. This is an easy way to have a supply of bread ready to be made into breadcrumbs.
How to Make Sourdough Bread Crumbs
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/163°C.
- Cut a sourdough loaf into 1-inch cubes.
- Spread the cubed bread in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-25 minutes to dry the bread out.
- Let the bread cubes cool and place them into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the bread is broken down into small pieces.
- If you prefer finer crumbs, pulse bread cubes longer.
- Add any additional seasoning like Italian seasoning, sage, thyme, rosemary, or salt. Or, leave them plain!
How to Store Sourdough Bread Crumbs
Allow the bread crumbs to cool completely before storing. Store leftover sourdough bread crumbs in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month. For longer storage, freeze bread crumbs in a freezer bag.
For a longer shelf life, be sure the bread crumbs are completely dry before storing. Any moisture in the bread will increase the chances for mold to grow.
Ways to Use Homemade Sourdough Bread Crumbs
Bread crumbs are one of those pantry staples that you can use in a multitude of ways.
- Add to homemade meatballs as a binder
- Sprinkle over the top of soup for great texture
- Create a crunchy topping for sourdough mac and cheese
- Create chunky bread crumbs in place of croutons in salads
- One of my favorite ways to use breadcrumbs is to dredge chicken in all-purpose flour and breadcrumbs seasoned with a bit of black pepper, salt, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese before frying. So simple, yet so delicious!
Tips
- Panko bread crumbs are breadcrumbs made from crustless white bread. Make them homemade by removing the crust from sourdough sandwich bread before cubing.
- If you find that the bread crumbs aren’t blending easily, they may still have too much moisture in them. Return them to the baking sheet and bake for an additional 10 minutes to dry them out.
FAQs
Can You Freeze Sourdough Bread Crumbs?
Freezing breadcrumbs is a great way to ensure you always have homemade breadcrumbs on hand. Make a double batch and freeze the leftovers. Cool the breadcrumbs before placing them into a freezer bag. Label the bag with the date and name, and store it for up to 6 months.
Can You Make Bread Crumbs Using Fresh Bread?
Yes! Fresh bread has more moisture in it than stale bread and requires more time in the oven to dry it out.
Can I Use Sourdough Bread for Bread Crumbs?
Yes! Using sourdough bread is my favorite way to make excellent breadcrumbs. The benefits and flavor of fermented bread will carry through to your breadcrumbs.
If You Like This Recipe, You’ll Also Like…
- Sourdough Mac and Cheese | A Discard Recipe – Lockrem Homestead
- How to Make 100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread – Lockrem Homestead
- Easy Whipped Honey Butter Compound Recipe – Lockrem Homestead
- Easy Gluten-Free Chicken and Quinoa Soup Recipe – Lockrem Homestead
Homemade Sourdough Bread Crumbs
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Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- sharp knife
- Cutting Board
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh or day-old bread (sourdough, sandwich, focaccia, etc.) approx. 450 g
Instructions
Homemade Sourdough Bread Crumbs
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/163°C.
- Cut a sourdough loaf into 1-inch cubes.
- Spread the cubed bread in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-25 minutes to dry the bread out.
- Let the bread cubes cool and place them into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the bread is broken down into small pieces. If you prefer finer crumbs, pulse bread crumbs longer.
- If you prefer finer crumbs, pulse bread crumbs longer.
- Add any additional seasoning like Italian seasoning, sage, thyme, rosemary, or salt. Or leave them plain.
Store
- Allow the bread crumbs to cool completely before storing.
- Store leftover sourdough bread crumbs in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month. For longer storage, freeze bread crumbs in a freezer bag.
Notes
Ways to Use Homemade Sourdough Breadcrumbs
Bread crumbs are one of those pantry staples that you can use in a multitude of ways: meatballs, sprinkle on the top of soup, create a crunchy topping for sourdough mac and cheese, and salads, to name a few. One of my favorite ways is to dredge chicken in all-purpose flour and breadcrumbs seasoned with a bit of black pepper, salt, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese before frying. So simple, yet so delicious!Tips
- Collect the ends of bread that everyone passes over in a Ziploc bag and keep in the freezer. This is an easy way to have a supply of bread ready to be made into breadcrumbs.
- Panko bread crumbs are breadcrumbs made from crustless white bread. Make them homemade by removing the crust from sourdough sandwich bread before cubing.
- If you find that the bread crumbs aren’t blending easily, they may still have too much moisture in them. Return them to the baking sheet and bake for an additional 10 minutes to dry them out.
- For a longer shelf life, be sure the bread crumbs are completely dry before storing. Any moisture in the bread will increase the chances for mold to grow.
Simple and staple, I like a sprinkle of breadcrumbs on soups or salads for that extra bit of crunch! Tell me what you think, and leave your questions below!