How to make breadcrumbs: 3 ways to make them

breadcrumbs are the base for many fried dishes. Thanks to their use, seafood, meat and vegetables get juicy and delicious, because they do not lose their juice. The breadcrumbs themselves turn into a ruddy and appetizing crust, which is hard to resist. However, it is not necessary to buy ready-made mix in a hypermarket. It is very easy to make it at home. In this case, you can be absolutely sure that high-quality breadcrumbs have been taken to make breadcrumbs, which means - excellent results are guaranteed.

What are breadcrumbs

Traditional breadcrumbs are made from wheat bread. To do this, it is necessary to dry white bread, having previously cut it into small pieces. breadcrumbs are used for coating various fried products: meat, vegetables and fish. Thanks to them, dishes get an attractive appearance due to the crispy crust formed on top. These treats are very succulent because the meat and fish do not lose moisture during frying. In addition, the use of breadcrumbs minimizes the risk of food sticking to the frying surface.

You can notice a fundamental difference between breadcrumbs and mix. The second option, in addition to bread, contains flour or cereal products. In addition, breadcrumbs are finer particles, which allows you to make the breading layer as thin and soft as possible.

Breadcrumbs are the most popular option for coating foods. They are used in the preparation of such popular dishes as zrazy, schnitzels, and rissoles. Cooking cutlets, both fish and meat, is simply impossible to imagine without breadcrumbs. They are also used for some kinds of baked goods and pastries, allowing you to get a crispy crust and preserve the delicate texture of the product that is inside.

The secret to using breadcrumbs is a special mixture that is needed for them to stick securely to the product. The most commonly used is egg batter with milk. Kefir or cream will also work well for this purpose. It is important to emphasize that it is impossible to refuse dairy products in the recipe. The fact is that, if you apply only eggs, the breading will turn out quite stiff and rough.

What are the ingredients for

Breadcrumbs for breading - this is what gives the fried dishes an aesthetic appearance, awakening the appetite. In addition, their use noticeably improves the quality of cooked food. The crispy crust allows you to retain moisture, which ensures a rich and juicy taste.

But we should not forget that only certain bread is suitable for making breadcrumbs. You need only the one that is made from the highest type of flour. Other options for this purpose are simply impossible, because breadcrumbs from other kinds of bread are too coarse and categorically not suitable for frying.

For cooking poultry or fish, it is recommended to use coarser breadcrumbs. For those dishes where minced meat is used, it is better to give preference to fine breadcrumbs.

Breadcrumbs can be used for the preparation of the following dishes:

• cutlets Kievsky;
• zrazy (meat patties);
• rissoles;
• schnitzels;
• nuggets;
• fish sticks;
• cheese sticks;
• mashed potato balls;
• cheese croquettes;
• chops;
• various types of cutlets (meat, fish, and vegetable).

This is not the whole list. It can be supplemented with different variations of dishes for a long time to come. In addition, breadcrumbs are also used in the preparation of some desserts.

For example, many recipes for quiche pies involve the use of breadcrumbs: they are sprinkled on the bottom of the mold to avoid sticking baked goods.

Breadcrumbs can come in handy and in the case if you need to prepare a sauce. Moreover, there is even a kind of dressing based on breadcrumbs. It is so called - "Breadcrumbs sauce" (served to meat or fish dishes).

What can be used to make breadcrumbs?

Many chain stores have ready-made options. However, breadcrumbs can be made yourself if you follow simple recipe rules.

Most recipes will require white breadcrumbs to make breadcrumbs. A loaf or baguette is perfect for this purpose. A variety of bagels and rolls can be used. However, here it is very important to remember that the product should not be sweet. The fact is that this will harm the taste qualities of the dish cooked in such breading, as the sweetness will not go anywhere.

It is worth emphasizing that the best breadcrumbs are obtained from air baking - they are more tender and crispy.

Usually stale breadcrumbs are used to make breadcrumbs. Slightly stale loaves and other products made of extra flour can be an excellent base.

Colored breadcrumbs have recently become especially popular in many countries around the world. Very often in the store you can see semi-finished meat and fish, which are crumbled in bright breadcrumbs, giving the dish an attractive appearance. Ready mixture of such breadcrumbs is quite expensive. Meanwhile, it is easy enough to prepare it yourself. And the main advantage of the home method of making colored breading mixture is that you can use only natural and fresh products, which will not cause any harm to health. Usually natural dyes are used. Paprika or turmeric will be perfect for this purpose. Paprika will give the dish a bright red hue, and turmeric - orange. You just need to add the selected spice to the ready breadcrumbs of wheat bread. After that, it is only necessary to thoroughly mix the resulting mixture.

How to make breadcrumbs at home

In the microwave

Sometimes the situation is such that the breadcrumbs have run out, but there is still minced meat for cutlets. Most hostesses immediately go to the store to buy a new pack. But there is another way, which will spend much less time.

To prepare 150 g of breadcrumbs you will need about 8-10 slices of plain white bread or loaf (you can take both at the same time). They should be placed on a plate so that they do not lie on top of each other. This is why it is better to divide the existing bread into several pieces, repeating this procedure several times.

The plate with bread should be placed in a microwave oven, setting the power mode 800W in advance. The duration of cooking the breadcrumbs will be 4-5 minutes. It is very important to watch the color of the bread: it should brown, but it should not be covered with too dark crust. It will give the ready breadcrumbs a bitter taste.

After the time comes to an end, the breadcrumbs should be taken out and wait for them to cool. Then grind them in the usual way - with a mixer or meat grinder. For this purpose, you can also use an ordinary wooden pusher or rolling pin, but it will take a little more time.

Do not forget that for making breadcrumbs is suitable only muffin bread. Black or gray bread should not be used for this purpose: breadcrumbs from such bread will be excessively hard and coarse, besides, they will have a sour taste.

In the pan

Breadcrumbs can also be cooked in an ordinary frying pan. However, it is better to give preference to a cast-iron version. In such a frying pan, it will be easiest to cook breadcrumbs. In addition, they will not stick.

Bread should be sliced thinly enough and placed on the frying pan. They should not touch each other. This is very important, because if they lie on top of each other, you will end up with soggy areas. When crushing the breadcrumbs, they will inevitably turn into lumps of wet bread. You will have to spend a lot of time to remove them completely.

It is very important to make sure that the bread in the process does not have time to burn even on one side. It should be turned, avoiding the appearance of a black crust. After the bread has browned, it should be cooled and ground to breadcrumbs with the help of available appliances (meat grinder, combine, mixer).

In the oven

First, the bread should be cut into slices. They should turn out approximately the same size. Then they should be placed on a baking tray, which should be previously covered with parchment.

Next, dry the bread in the oven for about 15 minutes. After 5-8 minutes it is recommended to turn each slice. The temperature mode should correspond to 180-190 degrees (no more, as otherwise the bread can quickly burn). The bread should sufficiently brown and become brittle. It is very important not to let it burn, otherwise the breadcrumbs will be very bitter and ruin the dish.

After the bread is sufficiently dried, you need to take the breadcrumbs out of the oven and let them cool to room temperature. Next, break them into smaller pieces and chop them. For this purpose, it is customary to use a food processor or mixer with a chopper attachment. An ordinary meat grinder will also work fine for this purpose. The second option will also allow you to sharpen the knives.

The size of breadcrumbs can be adjusted. If they are needed in a larger version, then, accordingly, the grinding period should be shorter. When smaller crumbs are needed, it is recommended to grind breadcrumbs for a longer period. If a meat grinder is involved, you can simply scroll the resulting crumbs twice.

A great idea would be to add salt, seasonings and your favorite spices to the breadcrumbs. This will save time in the future.

Store breadcrumbs should be in a glass container, which is tightly closed. It is very important that the tightness of the container was provided, otherwise the breadcrumbs can get damp or moldy.

From 500 g of white bread you can get about 300 g of breadcrumbs. But these figures may vary somewhat, since much depends on the quality of the product taken as a basis.

What can replace breadcrumbs in cooking

In order to get a delicious and ruddy crust, in many fried dishes it is customary to use breadcrumbs. This simple secret allows you to make the finished product juicy and amazingly tasty. But sometimes breadcrumbs run out at the most inopportune moment, and time is very limited.

Few people know that there is a simple solution to this problem: breadcrumbs can be replaced by some other products.

For example, you can use the following simple recipe: mix flour and semolina. This option will allow you to easily create a thin and delicate crust. Another advantage of this recipe - it takes literally a few seconds and does not require any additional steps.

Many housewives prefer semolina as a breading material. This variant turns out more delicate and thin than when using standard breadcrumbs.

The second method is quite original. It is a mixture of flour and shredded oat flakes. Such a combination gives the dish a subtle and pleasant flavor. You just need to grind the oat flakes to the state of crumbs. To do this, you can use a coffee grinder or a mixer with a chopper attachment. In the resulting mixture, you need to add flour in the ratio of 1:1.

The next option came to us from the West. Salted crackers, chips or corn sticks are suitable for cooking. It is enough just to crush them to the state of crumbs. However, you should take into account the fact that you should give preference to those versions of these products, which have no flavor additives. This can be far from the best effect on the finished dish: there will be a strange or unpleasant taste, and artificial flavoring will interfere with the taste of fish or meat.