Two Techniques in One: Homemade Croutons and Breadcrumbs

There are three major benefits of making your own croutons and breadcrumbs at home:

1. You now have a use for stale or leftover bread.

2. Your croutons and breadcrumbs will be crunchier, healthier, and more flavorful than the store-bought variety.

3. Endless flavor combinations will keep you and your diners interested and satisfied.

Aside from french toast and bread pudding, you might not know what to do with old or untouched bread.  If you watch Chopped on TV, you know french toast is so passé, and if you're trying to maintain a constant waist size, bread pudding is not a great option.  So, turn your unwanted bread into breadcrumbs or crunchy croutons for a salad.

Up the Crunch on Your Pork Cutlets

As I mentioned before, when you make your own croutons and breadcrumbs you choose the flavors and texture.  In the video below, I'll be making panko, or Japanese style breadcrumbs.  This just simply means the pieces are a bit larger than traditional Italian style breadcrumbs.  If you would prefer Italian style, just add your Italian seasonings and grind your breadcrumbs more finely.

To make croutons for a Caesar salad, olive oil and Italian seasonings would work great.  For a heartier steak or game salad, try roasting the bread with rosemary and sage.

Even if this isn't new information to you, hopefully the video and post got you thinking about all the flavorful possibilities.  Below the ingredients section I posted a couple ideas for different applications.   Give this a try and say good-bye to store-bought mediocrity.



Ingredients:
Bread of your choice, preferably stale or from discount rack at grocery store
Oil
Salt

Different Flavor Ideas (salt is recommended, but not listed)

Italian Croutons/Breadcrumbs (Great for Caesar Salads):

Rustic white bread or focaccia
Olive Oil
Italian Herb Blend (Dried basil, oregano, marjoram, parsley, etc.)

Holiday/Hearty Salad Croutons (Try with cranberries):

Whole wheat/grain bread or very dry fruit cake
Neutral Vegetable Oil
Very restrained amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, mace

Southwest Breadcrumbs:

Bolillo or white bread
Neutral Vegetable Oil
Chile Powder (Preferably New Mexico Chile), dried oregano (Preferably Mexican), smoked paprika

Need metric?