# 8 Bread Crumbs

With all this wonderful homemade bread that I have been making, I am often left with the crusty ends that are perfect for fresh moist bread crumbs. Most of the time, when I need bread crumbs in a recipe I grind them up fresh instead of using them dry. I just think that moist bread crumbs work really good in my meat loaf and turkey burger recipes. So here is what I do......

I use a small coffee grinder that I originally purchased for grinding flax seed. I use it only for bread and flax seed. They are inexpensive and if you need one for spices....I would keep a separate grinder for that purpose.

I just chunk up my crusty bread "ends," grind them up...takes a few seconds.....then dump them into a bowl. I use what I need for my recipe and put the rest into a zip freezer bag and pop it in the freezer to use for another recipe. Hardest part is remembering I have some ready in the freezer:)

If you wanted to have dried crumbs like you buy in the store,  you could process a whole (day old) loaf of bread through a food processor with the grater disc. Lay the breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and bake them in a 350 degree preheated oven for 20-30 minutes...make sure to check every 10 minutes and shuffle them around a few times during the baking. Allow time to cool before storing. With this method you still need to store in the freezer for about 6 months. You can use directly from the freezer. Got this method from "The Homemade Pantry" book.

As an added bonus I will include links to my favorite turkey burger (I do not add the cheese or scallions when I make them....I substitute in 1 egg, parsley flakes and extra garlic) and meat loaf recipes  (I use 1/2 cup bread crumbs in place of bread slices.) Both from Martha Stewart.