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Toasted Bread Crumbs

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Time

35 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6 (Makes 1 cup)

Toasted Bread Crumbs

Ingredients

1 baguette, bottom crust removed and bread sliced into ⅜-inch cubes to yield 1 cup (or follow alternative methods below)1 ½ tablespoons olive oil or melted butter¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Before You Begin

If you’re serving a complex dish like a saucy meat or vegetable pasta or an elaborately filled omelette, this basic recipe is the one to use.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower center position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix bread crumbs with oil and salt to coat evenly. Spread in single layer on small baking sheet. Bake crumbs, stirring once after 5 minutes, until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Sprinkle warm crumbs over finished dish, allowing 2 to 3 tablespoons per person.
Toasted Bread Crumbs

Toasted Bread Crumbs

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

35 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6 (Makes 1 cup)

Ingredients

1 baguette, bottom crust removed and bread sliced into ⅜-inch cubes to yield 1 cup (or follow alternative methods below)
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 baguette, bottom crust removed and bread sliced into ⅜-inch cubes to yield 1 cup (or follow alternative methods below)
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 baguette, bottom crust removed and bread sliced into ⅜-inch cubes to yield 1 cup (or follow alternative methods below)
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

In search of the best bread-crumb recipe, we found that the best crumb is made from good-quality bread that has no strong flavors, such as a leftover plain or sourdough baguette from your local bakery. Bread that was two to three days old was ideal for making bread crumbs because it had become quite firm but still retained some moisture, which was important in controlling the size of the crumbs. After testing various cooking methods for our bread crumb recipe, we found that the oven was the clear winner for ease of use and consistency of outcome.

Before You Begin

If you’re serving a complex dish like a saucy meat or vegetable pasta or an elaborately filled omelette, this basic recipe is the one to use.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower center position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix bread crumbs with oil and salt to coat evenly. Spread in single layer on small baking sheet. Bake crumbs, stirring once after 5 minutes, until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Sprinkle warm crumbs over finished dish, allowing 2 to 3 tablespoons per person.

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