homemade panko bread crumbs

One of the things I mentioned on yesterday's post is making your own bread crumbs, so today I found this recipe for panko bread crumbs and made them out of some leftover buns that were frozen. You've probably noticed a lot of recipes these days call for panko bread crumbs. I like that they aren't as fine as regular bread crumbs, and they are great for breading things like chicken and fish. However, you can get a lot more for your money if you make your own than you can for the price of a small box at the store, since one little box can be between $2-$3. Making your own is very easy, and they can be stored in a big bag in your freezer just waiting to be used. Another good reason to make your own: many store-bought bread crumbs are highly processed. By making your own, you'll waste less food by using leftover bread, spend less money, and be a little healthier.

The original recipe says to use the grating disk on a food processor to make these, so I did the same. But if you don't have a grating disk, just use the regular blade and pulse it to make a bigger size crumb.

I've found it saves time to keep a bag or two of crumbs for recipes on hand in the freezer. In addition to the panko bread crumbs, I also have a bag of Ritz crumbs that I use in a couple of recipes. Instead of only making enough crumbs for one recipe, I'll take a couple of rolls of Ritz, for example, and make a big batch of crumbs to keep in a bag in my freezer. Just another way to make cooking a little easier!

panko bread crumbs
courtesy of recipezaar

I N G R E D I E N T S :

1 loaf white bread, or if you don't have white bread, use soda crackers, like Saltines and oyster crackers or melba toast, instead. (approx. 23 saltine crackers per cup.)

D I R E C T I O N S :

Push chunks of white bread through the shredding disk of a food processor to make coarse crumbs.

Spread the crumbs on a baking sheet and bake at 300 F degrees until the crumbs are dry but not toasted, about 6 to 8 minutes. Shake the sheet twice during baking. Be careful not to let the crumbs brown!

Immediately remove bread crumbs from oven and allow them to cool.

Once cooled, crumbs may be stored in the freezer, in a resealable plastic bag for as long as several months.