Bread crumbs--do you make your own? Toast or butter them?

[raccoon]

I was looking at some casserole recipes last night and kept seeing "bread crumbs."

How do you prepare them--do you just crumble up a piece of bread? Rye Bread is what
I always buy.

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. For me, one of those things it is just easier to buy to have on hand -

we like the Progresso with Italian seasoning.

I think if you wanted to make them yourself, you just can put bread in a low oven to dry it out, then whiz in a food processor.

[Denninmi]

2. I just make them.

When I have any kind of leftover bread that is getting stale, I put it on a cookie sheet in a very low oven (170 degrees F) and dry it out.

Bread crumbs for the top of a casserole are simple, just put some stale bread pieces into a food processor and pulse until its the consistency you want. Then, pour into a bowl and mix in some melted butter or oil, depending upon your preference, and season as desired.

[grasswire]

3. both

I make soft bread crumbs for Italian meatballs.

I use the packaged crumbs for some things like breaded eggplant. Actually, I like the corn flake crumbs for some things too.

[GoCubsGo]

4. I usually make them.

The local Kroger always has good deals on day-old breads. I usually slice or split it, and dry it on low in the oven. Then I crumb it in the food processor. If the recipe calls for fresh bread crumbs, I skip the drying part. The other nice thing is that I can make whole grain crumbs.

[kestrel91316]

5. When I slice up homemade bread, I save the crumbs and dry well.

I also save bread heels and dry them, and crush with a rolling pin. So I never buy dry bread crumbs anymore. Silly waste of money.

For soft fresh bread crumbs, they say to toss bread in a food processor and pulse. I don't have many recipes that call for this.

[Major Nikon]

6. I use Panko bread crumbs mostly

They are not something you can make at home so I use store bought.

[Warpy]

7. Stale homemade white bread cut into cubes and whizzed in the food processor

then spread thinly on a cookie sheet, sprinkled with Italian herbs(or not), and dried in a slow oven. I don't put fat into the bread so they last for an astonishingly long time.

I don't use whole grain bread for bread crumbs because the whole grain tends to suck up more oil than white bread. They also go rancid sooner.

[csziggy]

8. I zoned out one breadmaking day and forgot to spray the pans

Had TWO loaves of whole grain bread that I had to scrape off the sides which of course shredded the bread. I put the big pieces through the food processor, bagged the crumbs and put them into the freezer. They are the best bread crumbs!

I prefer adding seasons when I am ready to use the crumbs, and same for drying them in the oven. Sometimes I like the soft crumbs so it's easier to not pre-dry them.