Seasoned Bread Crumbs

Seasoned bread crumbs are toasted to a golden color. They are excellent to use for coating or as a filler for meat loaf & casseroles.

Makes about 5 cups

Toasted Bread Crumbs:

For many years I used Contadina Italian Seasoned bread crumbs. Then I discovered how easy it is to make my own and add my own seasonings. The homemade bread crumbs are much more economical. Many people prefer to keep bread that is getting old in the freezer and then make their bread crumbs from those leftovers. I prefer to start with a fresh loaf of bread. This guarantees that your bread crumbs will never have a stale flavor. Besides, I almost never have bread of any kind that starts to get old. I usually use bread that is getting old to make garlic toast or something of that nature. And it doesn’t matter what kind of bread it is. I will even use hot dog or hamburger buns to makes garlic toast.

This recipe actually has three parts or separate recipes:

• Toasted Bread Sticks – These are great for snacks in place of crackers. Your canine friends will also love these.
• Plain Unseasoned Bread Crumbs – Use these when you would like to create your own combination of seasonings.
• Seasoned Bread Crumbs – Season these ahead of time so that they are ready to use on short notice.

1 – Toasted Bread Sticks:

Ingredients:

1 one-pound loaf of white bread
2 large cookie sheets
1 Ziploc one-gallon bag

I usually get the least expensive bread to use for making bread crumbs. But you are free to use whatever kind of bread that you like. You can use healthier whole grain breads such as whole wheat or rye. You can even use gluten free bread if you are gluten intolerant. I usually put the loaf of bread in the freezer overnight because the frozen bread is easier to slice.

Instructions:

1. Remove bread from freezer and slice each piece from top to bottom into three pieces of about the same width.
2. Place the bread slices on a cookie sheet. You will need 2 cookie sheets for a one pound loaf of bread.
3. Place the bread slices in a preheated 275° oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the bread in the oven for an additional 15 minutes.
4. When finished, the bread sticks will have a light golden color. You will need a rolling pin and a 1-gallon Ziploc bag for the next step.

Besides making bread crumbs, these bread sticks are ideal for snacking and using in place of crackers. Any canine friends that you have will also enjoy them. They are low fat and very crunchy.

2 – Plain Unseasoned Bread Crumbs:

1. Place about a fourth of the bread sticks in a 1-gallon Ziploc bag.
2. Rock the rolling pin back and forth to break the bread sticks into smaller pieces.
3. Roll the rolling pin over the pieces of bread sticks until you have the desired bread crumbs. Make sure that you leave some larger pieces of bread crumbs. This helps to give them a crunchy texture. The reason I don’t use or recommend a blender or food processor is because they are so powerful. When you are done you may have bread powder and not bread crumbs. When the bread crumbs vary in size it is a good thing.
4. Repeat with the remaining bread sticks. When finished you will have a large bowl of unseasoned bread crumbs.

Finally, you can go on to the next step and add seasoning to the bread crumbs. You can also store them this way and add your own combination of seasonings later.

3 – Seasoned Bread Crumbs:

Ingredients:

5 cups plain unseasoned bread crumbs from above.
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons dried Oregano, crushed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

Combine all of the above ingredients in a large bowl and mix together until well blended. Store in a jar with a tight fitting plastic lid.

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 Attention Vegans: You can convert this to a vegan recipe by omitting the Parmesan cheese or replacing it with an equal amount of nutritional yeast.

Notes:

• These seasoned bread crumbs will keep for a couple of months on a cool dark shelf without any problems. If you would like to store them for a longer period of time, then you can keep them in the refrigerator or freezer.
• If you use freshly grated Parmesan cheese, instead of the processed cheese from a container, then you will always need to store the bread crumbs in the refrigerator.