4/8/2023 0 Comments Bread crumb recipeIn this version of the classic recipe, I enrich the pasta with egg yolks for creaminess, Asian fish sauce to increase the funk factor and hot sauce for kick before tossing in the garlicky crumbs. A specialty of Southern Italy, it’s dusted over pasta in place of the more costly grated cheese. I turned to pangrattatto, an Italian garnish of bread crumbs that have been toasted in olive oil and seasoned with the likes of garlic, herbs and sometimes anchovies or chile flakes (or both). After marrying a man who doesn’t eat cheese, I needed a replacement for my once-ubiquitous sprinkle of grated Parmesan. When the oil shimmers, add the breadcrumbs. Heat the 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot over medium heat. You should have about 2 cups of crumbs, a bit more if the crusts are not removed. Pasta is actually what got me thinking about bread crumbs in the first place. Put bread cubes, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt in a food processor and pulse to make coarse breadcrumbs. Then use your crumbs widely and often - in meatloaf, stuffing, dumplings, on top of casseroles and gratins, in pasta dishes. And if you only have fresh bread for your crumbs, dry it out in a low oven (250 degrees) first. Another method involves pounding the stale bread with the side of a rolling pin, or even a hammer, but I’d advise wrapping the bread in a dishtowel before you begin. (You can also use a hand grater, though it will take a bit more muscle.) For finer crumbs, whirl the grated bread in the food processor (or blender) until it takes on the texture of sand. Once I’ve got enough stale bread, all I do is grate it on the grating disk of my food processor. It will only add complexity and dimension to the final crumbs. And feel free to mix different kinds of loaves. Repurposing hard, stale bread is the point here. The bread can sit at room temperature for days, even a few weeks before pulverizing. I have a cloth sack into which I throw all the ends of my loaves. Homemade bread crumbs couldn’t be easier to make, and they are also basically free if you get into the habit of saving your leftover crusts. Which is to say, it’s far better to make your own. They may not seem like something that demands to be homemade.īut just as a loaf of really good, crusty bread - be it homemade or from an excellent bakery - makes any sliced plastic-wrapped loaf seem like cotton by comparison, homemade bread crumbs put the sawdust in the can to shame. They’re a crunch-intensifier or a garlic-and-cheese holder (ah, stuffed mushrooms), but never the main ingredient. The “artificial,” “bad oregano flavor” was overwhelming.Bread crumbs are easy to take for granted. Italian PackagedĪs bad as the plain crumbs were, the crumbs with Italian seasonings were even worse. Tasters touted their “crispy” texture on chicken cutlets but dismissed the meatloaf as “pasty” and “gummy.” Plain PackagedĬonsistently described as “stale” and “sandy,” these store-bought crumbs provided a passable crust on chicken cutlets, but tasters rejected their “gritty” texture in meat loaf and on macaroni and cheese. These large, flaky crumbs are perfect when you want big crunch. Once buttered and broiled on top of macaroni and cheese, fresh crumbs were praised for being “very crunchy,” with “good flavor.” Panko These crumbs were too soft for coating chicken cutlets but were good as a binder in meat loaf. Our favorite crumb gave macaroni and cheese a “nice and crunchy” topping and yielded breaded chicken cutlets with “great crunch” and “nice flavor.” Fresh (Untoasted) Crumbs are listed below in order of preference, with tasters’ comments. Fresh (untoasted) crumbs and panko were suitable for some tasks but not others. Supermarket crumbs were similarly panned in every application for their gritty, sandy texture. Tasters overwhelmingly preferred the fresh toasted bread crumbs in every application, praising their crisp texture and toasty flavor. To find out which crumb was best suited to each culinary task, we prepared batches of breaded chicken cutlets, meat loaf, and buttery crumb-topped macaroni and cheese, using each type of bread crumb and holding a blind tasting to see what tasters preferred. And should you use those fresh crumbs as is or toast them first in the oven? Finally, many chefs rave about panko, large, flaky Japanese-style crumbs, now available in many supermarkets as well as gourmet stores.īread crumbs have three basic uses in the kitchen: coating, binding, and topping. Besides supermarket bread crumbs (both plain and Italian-seasoned), there is the option of homemade bread crumbs, made from grinding bread in the food processor. When a recipe calls for bread crumbs, you have more choices than you might think.
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