Has it ever happened to you that while cooking, you got a lovely epiphany that you are short an ingredient? And not only that but you really don't want to go to the grocery store. Or you don't have a babysitter. It's an improvised time! This is how this Easy Homemade Italian Bread Crumbs Recipe was created.
While halfway through cooking a recipe that calls for breadcrumbs I realized I didn't have any at all at the time. I had some homemade bread in my pantry, so I sliced it into thin slices and dried them in the oven.
Then crushed the dried bread in the food processor, added seasoning and here you go. Results? The best tasting homemade breadcrumbs! I have not bought breadcrumbs at the grocery store since creating this one. Much healthier and cleaner. Sometimes a hurdle is a step up for the better. Enjoy!
Homemade Italian Bread Crumbs Ingredients
Italian Bread Crumbs Seasoning Ingredients
- Italian seasoning
- Dry parsley
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
Easy Homemade Italian Bread Crumbs Instructions
Slice bread loaf into thin slices.
Lay flat the bread slices on a baking sheet and let it sit out in the pantry overnight. A quicker option is to dry the bread in the oven. Heat oven to 250 F (120 C), place the baking sheet into the oven, dry the bread for 30 minutes and then flip the slices over to the other side and dry for another 30 minutes.
Turn the oven off and let it sit inside for another 30 minutes. Take the bread slices out of the oven and cool completely before crushing in the food processor. (I feel it’s better to plan ahead and let the slices dry naturally.)
Processing Bread into Bread Crumbs
Break bread slices into smaller pieces. Split all pieces into two portions and crush one at a time into the food processor. Crush for about 2 minutes.
Sift crushed bread crumbs through a sifter to catch larger pieces for crushing again and transfer them back into the food processor. Crush for a minute. Repeat the same steps with the rest of the bread.
Place bread crumbs back into the food processor. Add all the spices and pulse the processor a couple of times. No more than 3 seconds (otherwise you may over crush the dried parsley and Italian seasoning and they will be too small to stand out).
Store bread crumbs in a breathable container and dry place. I reuse the original bread crumbs container bought at the store.
If you make this Easy Homemade Italian Bread Crumbs Recipe, please share a picture with me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. Tag with #valyastasteofhome. I’d love to see your creations!
Easy Homemade Italian Bread Crumbs Recipe
Ingredients
Homemade Italian Bread Crumbs Ingredients
- 1 lb. (454 g) – Homemade French bread loaf
Italian Bread Crumbs Seasoning Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. – Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp – dried parsley
- ½ tsp. – garlic powder
- ½ tsp. – onion powder
Instructions
Easy Homemade Italian Bread Crumbs Instructions
- Slice bread loaf into very thin slices.
- Lay flat the bread slices on a baking sheet and let it sit out in the pantry overnight. A quicker option is to dry the bread in the oven. Heat oven to 250 F (120 C), place the baking sheet into the oven, dry the bread for 30 minutes and then flip the slices over to the other side and dry for another 30 minutes.
- Turn the oven off and let it sit inside for another 30 minutes. Take the bread slices out of the oven and cool completely before crushing in the food processor. (I feel it’s better to plan ahead and let the slices dry naturally.)
- Break all bread slices into smaller pieces. Split all pieces into two portions and crush one at a time into the food processor. Crush for about 2 minutes.
- Sift crushed bread crumbs through a sifter to catch larger pieces for crushing again and pour them back into the food processor. Crush for a minute. Repeat the same steps with the rest of the bread.
- Place bread crumbs back into the food processor. Add all the spices and pulse the processor a couple of times. No more than 3 seconds (otherwise you may over crush the dried parsley and Italian seasoning and they will be too small to stand out).
- Store bread crumbs in a breathable container and dry place. I reuse the original bread crumbs container bought at the store.
Here are a few delicious recipes that require bread crumbs:
- Baked Breaded Chicken Drumsticks
- Lemon Pepper Crispy Shrimp
- Breaded Parmesan Chicken Skewers
- Turkey and Pork Meat Patties
Kitchen items I used in making this recipe:
(If you need any of these items, simply click on the picture to order. These are Amazon affiliate links. That means when you click on the picture link and make a purchase I make a small commission. Your cost for the purchase does not change. Thank you for your support!)
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So glad to find this recipe! Was upset to see that my favorite Italian breadcrumbs from the store had high fructose corn syrup and probable GMO oils and corn products in it.i might add a few ingredients (a bit of salt?), but a great start!! Thanks!
Hi, Debbi! I'm so happy to hear that you found what you were looking for on my blog. Same here, after reading all the ingredients I was shocked how much junk is packed into simple breadcrumbs. The addition of salt is ok, but not necessary, you can add more salt into the bread recipe if you want your crumbs to be saltier. Thank you for an amazing review!
Perfect for chicken parm, incredibly easy and very fast!
Yes, I cannot agree more! Thank you for the review!
Oh perfect! I am living in Russia and I can not find Italian seasoned bread crumbs at our stores here 🙂 (just plain) . I am assuming any type of white bread is ok to use? (like the white 'baton' Russian bread)
Yes, any white bread will do!