Homemade Sourdough Breadcrumbs (Plain or Seasoned)

Transform your leftover sourdough bread into homemade sourdough breadcrumbs that can be used for many dishes and made plain or seasoned.

Baking fresh sourdough bread is a skill that continues to give and in this post, I am going to cover yet another use for any leftover sourdough bread you might have to use up. 

A few months back I had written a post on how to make homemade sourdough croutons. At first, I felt a little strange to post something that wasn’t geared toward teaching a recipe but more so how to use up something not eaten. But then I realized that I had once been in a place where I was tossing out any stale bread on my own counter.

 The simple truth is, when you are unsure of any other uses for it and you are baking fresh loaves almost daily, it happens. As a home baker, you might be doing this as well. I mean those old end pieces and stale loaves can add up quickly. I don’t like seeing them sitting on the countertop in plastic bags. A sight not nearly as charming as a fresh loaf of sourdough bread.

Thankfully there are so many creative ways to use up leftover sourdough bread, the croutons previously mentioned, being pretty high up on that list. But making fresh breadcrumbs has got to be one of the simplest and dare I say the best way to use up stale sourdough bread. One I feel that is completely underutilized. My sister was over not long ago and commented on the jars lined with breadcrumbs that I had just filled that afternoon.

She was somewhat amazed at the idea of making homemade breadcrumbs. It’s funny how the simplest of things can seem complicated. The thing is, before the world of convenient foods took over, no one bought breadcrumbs, they made them. Which is exactly what we are going to be doing today.

Homemade Sourdough Breadcrumbs Are…

• Easy to make, never buy store-bought breadcrumbs again
• Useful and great use of leftover bread
• Perfect for end pieces or staling bread
• A great way to reduce food waste
• A good money saver as making your own is almost free to do
• Great for many dishes and recipes
• Terrific for sourdough loaves but can be made with any type of bread

Ingredients

Bread: For sourdough breadcrumbs, use leftover sourdough bread pieces or slices that are going stale or if in a pinch and needing breadcrumbs, you can use fresh bread. The nice thing is, that breadcrumbs can be made from any sort of loaf of bread you have on hand.

Seasoning: Optional, you can do many different variations for these homemade sourdough breadcrumbs. Adding in your favorite seasoning is a great way to add flavor to dishes that you add the breadcrumbs to. Things like onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, oregano, and paprika are great additions to these breadcrumbs. Use dried herbs not fresh as the fresh ones have moisture in them and will affect the shelf life of the breadcrumbs.

Tools

Baking Sheet

Food Processor (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325F. Place the sourdough slices onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Don’t stack them. You want the oven to dry them out. Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 20- 30 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and toasted through.

Remove from the oven and allow the toasted bread to cool completely. When ready, place several pieces of toasted bread into the bowl of a food processor and blend until they have a crumb consistency.

Remove the breadcrumbs from the food processor and pour them into a sealable jar or airtight container.

Continue blending all the bread until done. Store the breadcrumbs at room temperature for later use or place them in the freezer to store for longer periods.

Notes

• The easiest way to make these breadcrumbs is to process them in a food processor, if you don’t have a food processor see the FAQ for an alternative method.
• Store excess pieces of bread in a ziploc bag in the freezer until ready to make breadcrumbs.
• Make sure the bread is toasted through the center but not burnt. This will effect the bread’s ability to crumble into fine pieces.
• You can season these breadcrumbs if desired, be sure to add only dried herbs or seasonings not fresh.
• ​Homemade sourdough breadcrumbs can be stored longer when frozen, see How to Store below for tips.

Ways To Use Homemade Breadcrumbs

• Use in meatballs or meatloaves
• Great for adding a crispy coating pork chops, or chicken cutlets
• Top casseroles or mac and cheese with golden bread crumbs for a nice crunchy topping
• Good for coating fried veggies or shrimp
• Use in a salmon or fish cakes for binding
• Use in any stuffing mixture or to top stuffed tomatoes
• Use them to coat eggplant for eggplant parmesan

How to Store

Store breadcrumbs in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also freeze the breadcrumbs for longer storage. To freeze, place the breadcrumbs in a freezable container, label them, and place them in the freezer. Breadcrumbs can be kept for up to 3 months to 6 months.

FAQ

Can I add seasoning to these breadcrumbs?

Yes! These homemade sourdough breadcrumbs are easy to season. I like to make Italian-style breadcrumbs see the variation mentioned above.

I don’t have a food processor, can I still make these breadcrumbs?

You can. It will take a little more work but you can still make them. Place the toasted bread slices into a plastic freezer bag. Take a rolling pin and pound them out into coarse crumbs. For more fine breadcrumbs, you can take any leftover small pieces and pinch them between your thumb and pointer fingers to further break them down. Store as instructed. 

What other breads can I use to make homemade breadcrumbs?

You can make homemade breadcrumbs with any type of bread, even fresh if you’d like. I just prefer sourdough since that is what I bake mostly in my kitchen. Just dry the slices out in the oven as instructed and then break them down in the food processor. Season if desired and store as instructed.

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Food Processor

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