Sunday, December 9, 2012

Homemade Seasoned Bread Crumbs.

Here I have wheat crackers, corn flakes, flour, cornstarch,
and the main ingredient...dry bread.  Don't forget the
spices.
Seasoned bread crumbs made from day old bread can be used in many recipes like breading fish, chicken, or vegetarian patties.  If you make the bread into larger pieces, it is great to stuff that turkey or chicken without having to purchase the packaged stuffing.  Seasoning your dry bread is easy to do using your favorite herbs and spices. It is a great way to use that extra bread that is either getting dry or just forgotten.  Just make sure it is still good and not moldy.  Once prepared, I keep a large canister with all my seasoned breadcrumbs in the pantry ready to scoop out whatever I need, whenever I need.  However, my breadcrumbs don't just contain bread.

All blended nicely in my Ninja
I use whatever has been made with nuts or grains.  For example there might be 1/2 cup of corn flakes left in the box, or other non sweetened cold cereal.  That will go into my canister.  Maybe I had some extra toasted sesame seeds, that too goes into the canister.  Perhaps I have some leftover sourdough bread, or any other kind of bread.  That too goes in the canister.  Anyway, here is a basic recipe guaranteed to give your meal that crispy crunchy texture one looks for in a fried chicken or fish, or veggie patty.  This is what I do.

Ingredients: Note, all ingredients must be dry.
  • Bread any kind, 1/2 pound of dry bread. You can dry it on a cookie sheet in your oven, using your pilot light, or oven light.  Note, you can use some cold cereal like corn flakes, just add it to the bread crumbs.  It gives it taste and texture.   You can also use crackers, like matzo, and saltines, and wheat crackers.
  • Cornstarch 1 cup
  • flour  1/2 cup.
  • Wheat bran 1/2 cup (optional)
  • Salt  Season to taste
  • Pepper season to taste
  • Garlic  season to taste
  • Onion season to taste
  • Cayenne Pepper, season to taste
  • Parsley dried 1/4 cup
  • Poultry seasoning if you are cooking chicken and want that Southern fried taste
  • Italian seasonings if you want that Italian Kick
  • Curry powder and so on.  Get the picture.  
I would make a basic seasoned bread crumbs ready for you to use, using all but the last three spices.  I only add the last three spices when I know I am cooking Italian, etc.  Then I add some Italian herbs.  I wouldn't want to add Curry powder when I am going for Italian right?

Voila!  Instant seasoned bread crumbs.  It still has bit of corn flakes,
 and wheat crackers.  Also helps to  give it great texture.
Anyway, it's that simple.  You get to use all that extra bread.  By the way, every loaf of bread usually has a few pieces of bread that does not get used up.  I freeze them in a freezer bag until I accumulated enough to make these seasoned bread crumbs.  See, I told you it was easy.

Well, that's it for tonight.  Thank you for allowing me to be of service.  Goodnight, and many blessings:)

Sincerely,

Mary Helen
Below are some dishes I made using this Seasoned Bread Crumbs.

This bread crumb stuffing is made with my bread crumbs.  Only difference
is I used larger pieces of bread.  I pre-cut the bread before I dried it.
Here are vegetarian patties that held up well with my seasoned breadcrumbs
These Chicken strips were cooked with my seasoned breadcrumbs.


And so was this shrimp:)
Finally, but not all, my boneless fish strips and potatoes were also made with my seasoned breadcrumbs....see
the heart potato?  Yum Mojo style.  Crispy and not greasy.


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