Final Gift Guide Offering
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Home-Made Bread Crumbs
This is the best last-minute present I know, so even though I included it in last year’s gift guide, I’m offering it to you again this year. After all, you can never have too much of a good thing. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t be thrilled to find some of these spectacularly useful home-made breadcrumbs sitting under their tree. The gift is even nicer if you put them into a pretty bowl.
Cut a good loaf of stale bread into cubes and grind it into crumbs in a blender or a food processor. (A blender is better; it gives you a more uniform texture). If your bread is not stale enough to crumb, you can dry the cubes out in a 200 degree oven for about 15 minutes before grinding.
Spread the crumbs onto a baking sheet and toast in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes until they are crisp and golden. Drizzle with olive oil (about a quarter cup for every 2 cups of crumbs), season with salt and allow to cool completely before putting into containers.
These will keep in the freezer almost indefinitely. Just whirl them in the microwave for a few seconds to take the chill off.
Yes, agree completely. A few handwritten recipe suggestions of the best way to use these crumbs would make this an even better present.
Great idea in a freezer-ready container, decked out with ribbons or other decorations. I love homemade breadcrumbs and try to keep them on hand, though I never thought of giving them as a gift. I'd suggest adding a few handwritten recipes to use the breadcrumbs to their best advantage.