Homemade Dried Breadcrumbs

I've finally stopped eating the heels of the loaves of our bread.  I realized that "sacrificing" in this way was really pointless and I could partake of the regular bread for my morning toast.  But I always hesitated to throw them away.   Surely I'll make breadcrumbs...someday?  That hesitation became utter motivation one day when my "ingenious" boys tried to use the entire loaf of bread as a step stool in order to reach the peanut butter.  They succeeded in ruining an entire loaf of bread.  That loaf went into the freezer and, today, became dried breadcrumbs.  (And eventually, our chicken nuggets.)

Homemade Dried Breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 275.  

Start by tearing your bread (heels, inside pieces, whatever you have- crust and all!) into pieces and placing them into a food processor.  I only have a mini-chopper, so I have to do this in batches.  Pulse until you have fine crumbs.  Spread your breadcrumbs into a single layer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.  

Bake breadcrumbs for 30-45 minutes, turning the crumbs every 10 minutes, until they are dried out and lightly golden.  Your time will vary depending on how much bread you use.  My 3/4 of a loaf of bread took a full 45 minutes, at which point I turned off the oven but left the pan of crumbs in there to finish drying out while I put kiddos down for naps.  

Place your breadcrumbs in a ziploc and bag and freeze it!  Pull them out whenever you need breadcrumbs for your favorite chicken nuggets or weeknight chicken dish.