Five Tasty Ways To Use Breadcrumbs

One of the simplest things to do with leftover bread is to make breadcrumbs. When the bread is past its best (but before it goes mouldy!), it can be made into breadcrumbs and stored for future use.

Here we look at how to make and store breadcrumbs as well as some tasty options for using them.

How To Make Breadcrumbs

This may seem obvious, and if you have your own way of making breadcrumbs, please, don't let me stop you. Some people crumble their leftover bread by hand. Some people grate their bread on the largest holes of the grater.

I blitz mine in the liquidiser.

Yup. I rip my going-dry bread into chunks, pop it in the liquidiser (I don't have an actual blender but I'm sure that would work too) and blitz it in short bursts so that the bread jumps about, catching on the blades. Et voila. We have bread crumbs.

I freeze mine. It seems like the best way to keep them fresh and ready to use. Some people lightly dry their breadcrumbs in the oven, then store them in an airtight container at room temperature. The drying part is a step too far for me. Do what seems best for you (obviously!)

And then...?

Five Tasty Ideas For Using Breadcrumbs

1. Stuffing, to serve with roast dinner

I recently made my own stuffing for the first time and it was so easy and delicious I wondered why I had never done it before. I will definitely be doing it again. No more of that stodgy just-add-water packet stuffing, please.

Stuffing is as simple as this:

Finely chop an onion and fry it lightly for a few minutes.
Stir in some* breadcrumbs and season strongly.
*Sorry if you're uncomfortable with 'some' - it really is a matter of taste. How oniony do you want it? How much stuffing are you trying to make? Feel free to experiment!
When I say 'season strongly' I mean add herbs, salt, pepper, maybe even some chopped nuts or dried fruits. Again, it's all about personal taste here. Play with whatever you've got in the cupboard!

2. Coating Fish or Chicken to Fry

You can use your own breadcrumbs to coat fish or chicken for frying. Season your breadcrumbs first with a little salt and pepper. Dip your fish or chicken in beaten egg then dip them into the breadcrumbs before frying. My children love to eat strips of chicken breast prepared in this way.

3. In meatloaf or nut roast

Breadcrumbs make an excellent bulking agent. Dishes such as meatloaf or nut roast benefit greatly from homemade breadcrumbs, especially wholemeal ones, because they enhance the flavour and texture of the finished dish.

4. Fruit Crumble Topping

I was kind of surprised when I tried this and liked it(!)

Just stir some sugar, and maybe a little cinnamon or ginger, into your breadcrumbs and use this mixture as the topping on fruit crumble. If you like, you can stir in some melted butter too, so it doesn't dry out too much when you bake it.

5. Savoury Crumble Topping

I've always said that leftovers taste better in a pie, well, they also taste great under a savoury crumble topping.

Actually it doesn't have to be leftovers. If you're making something pie-like and fancy a change from pastry, may I recommend savoury crumble instead?

Season some breadcrumbs with grated cheese, herbs, salt and pepper - maybe even some spices - and sprinkle them on top of... of whatever it is you're making. I especially love this on top of cooked lentils. Bake in the oven to crisp up the cheese and dinner is served.

Over to you

I expect there are hundreds of tasty ways to use up breadcrumbs. What do you do? Please leave a comment with your tips, below.

You can also...

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Buy The Recipes - all the recipes from this website in super-easy-to-use format.

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