Pantry Essentials – Bread Crumbs

While only a few recipes on the blog call for bread crumbs, this ingredient deserves special attention. More specifically, have you ever read the detailed ingredients from store bought brands? When I did, I was surprised to discover that in many cases the second main ingredient is high fructose corn syrup.

Hidden Sugars

For those not familiar with this ingredient, it is a corn derived sweetener and is subject to much debate. Whether or not you believe that high fructose corn syrup is bad for you, the general consensus is to eat sweeteners in moderation. While avoiding sweet foods is the easiest way to limit one’s sugar intake, it becomes particularly difficult when sugar is found in foods where you might not expect it.

This leaves us with two options: purchase the healthiest store bought brand possible or make our own.

Store Bought and Homemade

If buying bread crumbs, my two favorite brands are from Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. This isn’t a plug, they’re just the only two brands that I’ve found that don’t have added sugar.

If making your own, you can either use dried bread or toast fresh bread in the oven at 200 degrees until it hardens.

My go-to bread for bread crumbs is our family’s homemade whole wheat bread. It doesn’t contain any sugar and the whole wheat works well when making Greek meatballs or meatloaf. But most breads will work just as well.

Simply give the dried or toasted bread a whirl in the food processor and your bread crumbs are good to go. Store any extra in an air tight container for use at a later date.

Keep this in mind next time you have a dried loaf of bread. Instead of throwing it out, turn it into bread crumbs to be used the next time you make meatballs or meatloaf.