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Frugal Mom-a
 

New Favorite Cowgoddess

My new favorite Hathor comic strip! It's from this week.

And of course CLICK HERE to see the newest strip

By: Lea | Wednesday, April 11, 2007 at 4:01 PM | |

Make Your Own Breadcrumbs

If you have read any of my posts you know I am all about the make your owns! And why not when it's super easy and saves a couple of bucks.

This one may not seem like it saves much. How much is a container of breadcrumbs at the store anyway? Two or three bucks? Still I'll take two or three bucks if someone hands them to me so why not do it this way!

Also around this house we have a tendency to throw out the last couple pieces of bread in the loaf. No one eats the heels and there's always that one piece next to the heel that is dry or too small. My husband won't eat French toast (another great way to use up old or dried out bread) so it was getting thrown out.

I HATE throwing things out, especially food! We're poor for Pete's sake! Beggars can't be choosers, right!

Once when we were at the Walmart doing our weekly grocery shopping, the baby started getting a bit crazy and the only thing left on the list was breadcrumbs. I had looked twice already and just couldn't take the time to look again, so I said forget it, I'll make my own. And I am so glad I did!

Now, when we are down to the last of a loaf, I set out the ends to dry. I'll lie them in a Tupperware-style container on the edge so they are getting air on the bottom and top. I keep them out of the way of what I am working on in the kitchen like on top of the microwave. It takes a few days here for them to dry completely but we have humidity in the air where I live. It could take you longer or not as long.

I flip the slices every so often as I check their dryness.

They are done when they are completely dried out. You do not want any moisture at all in the crumbs because that could get nasty. I store them in a plastic baggie and if there's water in there, it will mold the whole batch.

Doing 3-4 slices at once makes a relatively small amount, maybe a half cup, but it makes enough for most recipes.

After it is dry, put into a small plastic baggie that seals. Break into smaller pieces up by hand. Then roll them with something hard and round. If you have a rolling pin I suppose that would work best. I do not have one so I use a big coffee cup and it works perfectly.
Roll on one side till it looks like it's done, then shake and flip and roll some more.

This is a great way to get the texture of crumbs you want. If you like your crumbs chunky, stop before they all crumble. If you like it super fine, thin them out as best you can in the bag and roll them till your hands hurt!

Sometimes the baggie gets holes in it from the sharp edges of the bread, just transfer to a new baggie. I get my baggies at the dollar store for a buck for like 30 or so, so no big deal, I use them for everything!

Date the bag too. I have never had any last longer than a month or two but they do probably go bad eventually. Just keep a smell on it and if it smells funky, do not use it.

You can also season your own! My husband loves basil, so I'll add dried basil to a batch. Or you can add some Parmesan cheese, but be sure to refrigerate the bag if you add cheese.

We eat whole wheat bread in this house, so now thanks to this frugal practice, we are also eating whole wheat breadcrumbs and what can be healthier than that!

I use breadcrumbs in many things. I top baked mac and cheese with it and a few pinches on softened butter for a crispy brown crust. I make faux crab cakes with tuna fish and put breadcrumbs in and dust the outside of each patty. I use them in meatloaf, especially the Italian seasoned one! Yummy!

So many uses for breadcrumbs, try making your own and let me know what you use them in!

By: Lea | at 10:50 AM | |