Herb Seasoned Sourdough Breadcrumbs
I’ve been baking sourdough bread every week for over a year now. The process has become total muscle memory, even though it does change a bit each time. I liken this to my experience in the corps de ballet for the Waltz of the Flowers during my teenage years of performing the Nutcracker… hear me out.
Each year, the choreography for the Waltz of the Flowers remained the same; eight minutes of 16 girls in pink tulle and three soloists in green waltzing around in circles, lines, and other more complicated patterns. Each corps dancer’s particular spot in the piece was simply determined by height—the corps members line up at the first rehearsal and are arranged by height and distributed across the stage to create a balanced stage picture. The position you get determines your track for the rest of the piece. During all three consecutive years I was cast as a flower, I got taller, and therefore my place in the lineup would change. A different position means different choreography, different traffic patterns, and different timing, all within the same piece I had learned the year previously. The muscle memory for my old tracks still in my mind and limbs, I learned a total of four positions in the same piece over the course of three years: three in the corps de ballet, and one soloist track. My final year, I performed in both the corps and as a soloist, on alternating days.
Bringing this back to bread, I realize how much a part of my muscle memory the breadmaking process has become. Factors change, such as the wheat I’m using, ambient temperature, and the actual dough formula itself. But all in all, I know that I can repeat the same steps of my bread-making choreography over and over despite these differences and come out with bread in the end.
Occasionally, though, every dancer missteps. Sometimes rehearsals would be hectic because dancers would use their counts from the previous year rather than the current one and traffic jams would ensue, or they’d forget to enter entirely. I may or may not have been guilty of that…So too goes the breadmaking process. Despite my best efforts, sometimes a process I know incredibly well can still get away from me! On occasion, I end up with a loaf that’s less than my ideal soft, pillowy crumb. A “rehearsal” loaf, if you will, perhaps overproofed, poorly shaped, or just not up to my usual standard.
Bread never need go to waste because it can be turned into so many things, like this Swiss Chard and Sourdough Pane Cotto, even if it’s not picture perfect. For this recipe, I used a loaf that was quite underproofed (did not rise long enough) and had a poor crumb. If you aren’t a breadmaker, you can forget my entire ballet analogy and just use some good-but-stale bread for this. About half of a large loaf is the quantity I used here, but the recipe is so easily adjustable so feel free to scale up or down to the quantity of bread you want to use up.
If you cool the breadcrumbs completely on the tray and seal them in an airtight container, they are shelf-stable for at least a couple months. I suggest grinding them into whatever consistency you think you’ll use most. I like coarser bread crumbs for sprinkling on top of soups, salads, pastas, and other dishes such as roasted vegetables, but a finer crumb works better for breading things like fish and chicken. The herbs I used are sage and rosemary, but this recipe would work equally well with oregano, thyme, or any other herbs you have. Just stick with tougher-stemmed herbs rather than soft ones like basil or parsley.
My final word of advice is to not rush the baking process. You want the crumbs to be fully dried before you remove them from the oven. The level of browning is up to you, but any residual moisture in the crumbs will cause a whole batch to go soggy if you want to store them long-term.
I may not dance on stage anymore, but my kitchen “choreography” is one of the most joyful parts of my day, even when it’s not perfect. At least in the kitchen, there’s always food at the end!
Herb Seasoned Sourdough Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- 5 cups of sourdough bread cubes, roughly torn or cut into 1 inch pieces (stale bread is great here but not a necessity)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of fresh, hearty herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, and sage
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder, to taste
- Zest of one large lemon (optional)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- Pulse the bread crumbs in the bowl of a food processor until they are coarse or fine crumbs, depending on preference. Work in batches to ensure all pieces are processed evenly. You should end up with about 4 cups of crumbs. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together olive oil, herbs, garlic powder, lemon zest if using, and salt. Add bread and stir to coat crumbs thoroughly and evenly. Tip: rubbing the pieces between your hands helps infuse the herb and lemon zest flavor more fully.
- Spread crumbs on baking sheet to form a single layer. Bake until the crumbs are completely dried out and reach your desired color, anywhere between 15-30 minutes, stirring every so often. The difference in baking time depends on how stale your bread was to begin with; more moisture = longer cooking time. Keep an eye on the crumbs towards the end of 15 minutes and monitor occasionally until done. Taste and add any additional salt desired at this time.
- Cool crumbs completely on baking sheet. Use immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 2 months in the freezer. If needed, re-crisp in a 375°F oven prior to serving.
Notes:
Feel free to omit the herbs and/or lemon zest to make plain bread crumbs.
To scale this recipe up or down, I like to keep a ratio of about 1 tablespoon EVOO per cup of crumbs. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Calories
276.92Fat (grams)
14.93Sat. Fat (grams)
2.19Carbs (grams)
31.02Fiber (grams)
2.13Net carbs
28.90Sugar (grams)
3.02Protein (grams)
6.25Sodium (milligrams)
1114.72Cholesterol (grams)
0.00
