Homemade Sourdough Breadcrumbs
Updated: 3 days ago
Store-bought breadcrumbs are full of ingredients you can't pronounce because they're made to sit on a shelf forever. That's why I created this recipe. We put too much work into these loaves to let any of it go to waste, so I started turning stale bread into breadcrumbs before it went bad. Now we use them up so fast I'll literally bake a loaf just to make breadcrumbs. Ideally you'd use a stale loaf, but I don't even really do that anymore.
Like a lot of what we make, this started with wanting to know exactly what's in our food instead of relying on a store-bought box.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
A zero-waste way to use up sourdough
More flavor than anything from a can
Endlessly useful for coating, topping, or stuffing
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
500g sourdough bread (or any stale bread), fresh or stale (about 1/2 a loaf)
Optional seasoning (we usually keep ours plain): 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp fine sea salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions:
Cut the bread into roughly similar-sized pieces, exact size doesn’t matter, just keep them even so they dry at the same rate. Fresh or stale both work; you're drying it in the oven anyway.
Spread in a single layer on a sheet pan (or air fryer basket in batches, don’t pile them).
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 30 minutes, tossing halfway, until completely dry and crisp. Air fryer: 300°F (150°C) for 8–12 minutes, shaking halfway.
They’re done when a cube snaps cleanly with no soft center. Cool completely before blending, warm bread steams and the crumbs turn gummy.
Blend about 90 seconds for super fine, or just pulse a few times for coarse. Toss with the seasoning mix now if using.
Store airtight at room temperature up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 3 months.
Additional Tips:
Variations: Experiment with different seasonings to customize the flavor of your breadcrumbs.
Substitutions: If you don’t have a sourdough loaf, any bread can work, try experimenting with burger buns, dinner rolls, or french baguettes- anything that has been sitting on your counter.
Common Mistakes: Avoid overcrowding the baking sheet, which can lead to uneven drying.
Storing Instructions:
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
For longer storage, freeze them in a freezer-safe bag or container.
Reheating Tips: From the freezer, let them sit out on the counter for 10-15 minutes, then they're ready to use, whether it's for a chicken cutlet, meatballs, or mac and cheese.
Try pairing these homemade sourdough breadcrumbs with:
Ingredient Notes
Fresh or stale bread both work since the oven does the drying. Just make sure every piece snaps cleanly with no soft center before blending.
Crusts included: Do not trim them. Sourdough crusts carry a lot of flavor and grind down fine.
Seasoning: We keep ours plain for versatility, but the seasoning mix above works on the whole batch too. For a single dish, season just the portion you need.
Troubleshooting Tips
Breadcrumbs went stale-soft instead of crisp: They must be fully dried through. Low heat and patience, not high heat and speed.
Uneven texture: Pulse in batches rather than filling the processor, and sift out any large pieces.
Burned quickly: Sourdough browns fast because of its sugars. Start checking at 25 minutes.
Went rancid in storage: Any residual moisture or fat shortens shelf life. Cool completely and store airtight.
What to Serve This With
Use to coat chicken cutlets, top mac and cheese, or bind meatballs.
Comments