Make Your Own Bread Crumbs

(Image courtesy of What's Cooking America site)

I don't use bread crumbs for very many recipes, but they are nice to have on hand and are called for in several things--like spaghetti and meatballs and the recipe I'll post on Thursday! You can even make them in a big batch and stick them in the freezer until you need them!

Start with some slices of bread. You can leave them sitting out to dry a bit, or place them in a low oven to dry them slightly (you don't want to toast and over-brown them). Then place the bread in a food processor or blender and pulse until you have the consistency you want, coarse or fine.

If you don't have a food processor or a blender, you can crumble the bread yourself easily enough. Make it a little drier and crush between your fingers or you could even place it in a bag and roll with a rolling pin to crush.

Simple as that! If you start with some sort of seasoned bread, you'll have seasoned crumbs. You can also consider adding some spices to season them yourself--like onion powder, garlic powder, or Italian seasoning.

You can use these right away, or store in an airtight container or ziplock in the freezer until needed. These work great in any recipe or for topping casseroles, etc.