CRUMBING is a food technique that is very easy to make at home with your family.
The goal? To create a crunchy layer that we all love. There are many different ways to do it, and feel free to play and be creative!
First thing first; the cool thing about this technique – in my humble opinion – is that it’s super versatile, you can crumb anything.
However the secret to success is in those little details that you’ll see me talking about all the time!
What type of bread do we use?
Do we do the traditional combination of putting the protein on flour then egg then breadcrumbs?
Or just straight into egg and breadcrumbs? Do we do just one layer? Perhaps two?
The answer to all those questions is that it depends.
I will talk more about that another day, but today I’d like to focus just on the type of breadcrumbs we use.
I know we can buy easily crumbs in the supermarkets. You’ll see they are really fine ones and others more flaky (called panko).
But what about if I told you, that you can make your own breadcrumbs with one if those old pieces of sourdough you end up having in your kitchen?
It is as simple as dehydrating your bread – basically make sure you dry it properly.
Then you can make it in smaller pieces and put it in the oven to dry it completely.
Later on add it to your kitchen aid, mixmaster or Thermomix machine and blend it until nice and small.
If you don’t have any of these appliances, don’t stress you can use the old-fashioned mortar and pestle.
The difference between supermarket breadcrumbs and these ones?
Well, flavour. You’ll see how different they are by simply using really good quality old bread.
To take it to another level? You can add some of your favourite flavours to it: herbs to create green crumbs, parmesan cheese for something with umami, Mediterranean herbs, spices, etc..
It’s a convenient, and smart solution, that’s all about zero-waste with really little effort! Your palate will enjoy it, your pocket will appreciate it too.
PS: For my gluten free friends, no worries at all. Follow the same process with your favourite GF bread!