How to Make Sourdough Breadcrumbs
Learn how to transform leftover sourdough bread into homemade sourdough breadcrumbs. Store in the freezer and use for meatballs, meatloaf, fried chicken, a crunchy topping and more!
Homemade sourdough bread crumbs are so nice to have on hand. They are easy to make up ahead of time and store in the pantry or even the freezer. Having homemade breadcrumbs around makes it easy to whip up meatballs, a meatloaf, or an easy breading for chicken tenders or fried chicken. The ingredients are all simple and healthy without any extra preservatives that store-bought breadcrumbs have. It’s also cost-effective, and an easy way to use up any leftover bread that dries out before it gets eaten.
This recipe for sourdough breadcrumbs is a great recipe to have in your back pocket while you are learning the ins and outs of sourdough. Sourdough baking is definitely a learning curve, and it’s likely that you’ll have a few subpar loaves along the way. The best way to give those less-than-impressive sourdough loaves a new life is to turn them into breadcrumbs. Also, making sourdough bread is really fun! I know there has been a time or two when I was excited to try some new recipes, and I ended up with too much sourdough bread. I was able to turn it into breadcrumbs or sourdough croutons to make sure it didn’t go to waste.
why make sourdough breadcrumbs?
Eliminate food waste. Making sourdough breadcrumbs is a great way to use up stale bread, sandwich bread, bagels, hot dog buns, etc.
Added health benefits. The grains in sourdough bread have been fermented, making it healthier than regular bread.
Avoid hidden ingredients. Grocery store breadcrumbs, while convenient, are processed and have a long list of ingredients. The ingredients in sourdough bread are flour, water, and salt. It can’t get more simple than that.
Add your favorite seasonings. Customize your sourdough breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, or just extra salt.
what type of bread is best for sourdough breadcrumbs?
You can make your own sourdough bread breadcrumbs with any kind of sourdough bread product. Artisan bread, sandwich bread, bagels, hot dog/hamburger buns, focaccia bread.. it all works just fine. The whole idea is to just use whatever you have. Breadcrumbs are a creative way to prevent food waste.
A savory loaf of sourdough bread like this Rosemary Garlic Sourdough Bread work as well. Pretty much any sourdough bread as long as it isn’t sweet.
ingredients
- 6-8 slices leftover sourdough bread
- Seasonings (optional)
​how to make sourdough breadcrumbs
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Take 6-8 slices of bread and cut them into cubes.
Spread bread cubes into a single layer on a baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. All of the edges and corners should be nice and golden brown.
Allow the toasted bread cubes to cool.
Next, pulse bread cubes in a food processor or high speed blender to pulverize into fresh breadcrumbs. Pulse less for coarse crumbs, pulse more for finer crumbs.
​The breadcrumbs should feel totally dry. If there are any soft spots, bake them on a baking sheet on 325 degrees F for another 10 minutes.
Store in an airtight container like a mason jar if you plan on using them soon, or in a freezer bag in the freezer.
for Italian-style sourdough breadcrumbs:
This seasoning blend is a great addition to your homemade sourdough breadcrumbs.
For every 2 cups of sourdough breadcrumbs: Add 1/2 teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder and sea salt, and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
recipe tips and notes
– Sourdough breadcrumbs can be coarse or fine. It depend on your preference. For coarse breadcrumbs, do not pulse in the blender as long. For fine breadcrumbs, pulse more.
– Use the bread loaf ends. Whenever I make fresh sourdough bread, the ends of the loaf are usually rejected. When the rest of the loaf is gone, I stick the ends in a plastic bag in the freezer and save for making sourdough breadcrumbs.
– Freeze the breadcrumbs. They will last forever stored in a ziploc bag.
how to use sourdough breadcrumbs
Use sourdough breadcrumbs in meatloaf (my favorite way), meatballs, fish cakes, on top of a macaroni casserole, or in a breading for fried chicken or shrimp. There are a lot of ways to use breadcrumbs, and I’ve found that I use them so much more than I did before I started making them.
how to make panko bread crumbs
Panko breadcrumbs are made from white bread without the crust. To make panko breadcrumbs, make this loaf of sourdough sandwich bread, remove the crust, and follow instructions to make sourdough breadcrumbs.
other great ways to use up dry bread
recipe card for sourdough breadcrumbs
Sourdough Breadcrumbs
Learn how to transform leftover sourdough bread into homemade sourdough breadcrumbs. Store in the freezer and use for meatballs, meatloaf, fried chicken, a crunchy topping and more!
Ingredients
- 6-8 slices sourdough bread
- Seasonings (optional, see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Take 6-8 slices of bread and cut them into cubes.
- Spread bread cubes into a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. All of the edges and corners should be nice and golden brown.
- Allow the toasted bread cubes to cool.
- Next, pulse bread cubes in a food processor or high speed blender to pulverize into fresh breadcrumbs. Pulse less for coarse crumbs, pulse more for finer crumbs.
- The breadcrumbs should feel totally dry. If there are any soft spots, bake them on a baking sheet on 325 degrees F for another 10 minutes.
- Store in an airtight container like a mason jar if you plan on using them soon, or in a freezer bag in the freezer.
Notes
For Italian-style sourdough breadcrumbs:
For every 2 cups of sourdough breadcrumbs: Add 1/2 teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder and sea salt, and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
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