Bread Crumbs

Have you ever made your own bread crumbs? It is super easy! Especially if you have a food processor. Air bread works great but you can do it with any kind of left over bread, homemade or not. The real key is to get it completely dry by slow heat in the oven. Most of the time I just collect ends and left over pieces or bread that has dried out because my kids were stinkers and left the bag open. I keep a Ziploc bag that I add these into in the freezer. When I have enough or run out ... I make bread crumbs or croutons with them.

Bread Crumbs
1 loaf of air bread (makes 5-6 cups of bread crumbs)

You can dry your bread for crumbs 2 ways.
1. Place your bread directly on your oven racks and turn the oven on the lowest setting. About 200* . Bake your bread for about 20-30 minutes checking every few minutes after 15 minutes. They need to be golden brown and dry, breaking crispy when you break it in half.
2. You can also cube them up and bake them slow on a cookie sheet. If you use this method you will need to stir them a few times to dry them evenly. Baking time will vary also on how much you do at once.

To make bread crumbs, the easiest way I have found is to whirl them in batches in a food possessor until they are evenly fine crumbs. You can also grate them on a cheese grater or pulse them in a blender a small amount at a time. Store in a air tight container (canning jar) until needed for about 6 months (if they last that long).