Breadcrumbs are super easy; toss bread into a food processor and make crumbs. How hard is that? If you want pure white crumbs, cut off the crust first. If color doesn't matter, leave the crust on. Use fresh bread only if you want really fresh crumbs, otherwise day-old bread that has been left out overnight to dry is recommended. (Avoid really stale bread, though.) If toasted breadcrumbs are desired, either toast the bread before you process it or process it first and then toast it. You can crumble fresh bread by hand if you don't have a food processor and dried or toasted bread can be reduced to crumbs by using a rolling pin or a box grater, but you won't get the same fine, consistent quality that a food processor produces.
Of course, I use a lot of Italian breadcrumbs and -- of course -- I have a favorite recipe.
1 loaf day-old rustic Italian bread
1 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 cloves finely minced garlic
2 tbsp dried Italian seasonings
3 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp sea salt
Leave the bread out to dry overnight, then crumble or tear it into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to a fairly large, rough texture.
Add the cheese, garlic, Italian seasonings, and salt and continue to pulse until the breadcrumbs become fine.
Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Whipping up some homemade Italian cuisine for my friend to eat was a good way to improve my own cooking, since their way of reviewing my food makes it easier for me to improve if something is amiss. But other than that during our day-offs, we drive around the city to find some good restaurants in Destin FL, and after that, we watch some football at the nearest bar to cheer for our favorite teams.
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