DIY Bread Crumbs & Croutons with a Dehydrator

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DIY bread crumbs, croutons, and stuffing in your dehydrator is a great way to use extra bread and a time saver in preparing for the holiday season! And it doesn’t heat up your kitchen!

Turning that last few slices of homemade bread, those hot dogs from last week’s BBQ, the rye bread that you couldn’t finish in time, or the sourdough rolls you overbaked will help you create a pantry stock of bread crumbs, cubes, stuffing mix, and croutons that will be useable all year long!

But it’s especially helpful if you use a lot of these during the holiday season! Having them will make preparing your family’s favorite holiday meals even easier!

Bread to Use

Using any non-oily bread is key to storage.

• Sourdough
• Rye
• Homemade
• Commercial
• Gluten-free breads
• Sliced bread
• Leftover rolls

The key is to use non-oily bread if you intend to store them for more than a few weeks. Oils can quickly turn rancid in the pantry, especially after being heated, and croutons are one of the quickest to oxidize and begin to smell.

The difference here is not just in typical oil/fat usage when making bread, but those that tend to use a lot of oils or fats in the recipe are the ones that will make great short-term croutons but not great for storing in the pantry for months.

While you can use sweet bread to make bread crumbs for baking or cubes, remember that you don’t necessarily want to use them for savory dishes – so keep them separated!

How to Dehydrate Bread for Bread Crumbs or Croutons

Dehydrated Bread Crumbs

You have two ways you can do this. Slice the bread and then crumble it up when dry. Or crumble the bread first, then dry it. Either way works fine.

I prefer to slice the bread first because I don’t have to use stale bread.

TIP: To help make your bread stale a little faster, put it in the fridge for 24 hours!

Sliced Bread Directions:

1. Slice bread into 1/4″ (6mm) slices or cubes.
2. Place onto dehydrator sheets. (It will be helpful to have one tray lined with a sheet at the bottom to catch crumbs.
3. Dry at 150°F/65°C until dry and crumbly. Usually from 1-3 hours.
4. Pulse in a food processor or blender to preferred consistency
5. Store in an airtight container for 6-9 months, but check often for rancidity.

Crumbs

1. Place bread into the fridge overnight or use stale bread
2. Pulse in food processor to break bread into crumbs
3. Place on dehydrator trays with parchment paper, fruit leather sheets or lipped trays like the Bright Kitchen set I use from Amazon for these kinds of projects.
4. Dry at 150°F/65°C for 1-3 hours until they crumble easily and stay separated.
5. Store in an airtight container for 6-9 months, but check often for rancidity.

DIY Croutons in the Dehydrator

1. Cube bread to your desired size
2. Place in bowl and drizzle with a little melted butter, melted coconut oil or good spray oil (I happen to use an avocado spray oil). Optionally, you can use a spritz of water.
3. Sprinkle in your favorite seasoning and mix well.
4. Use a little more oil if necessary, but it is important not to oversaturate your cubes
5. Place on dehydrator trays lined with parchment paper, silicone liners or the silcone lipped trays. Using less expensive fruit leather sheets may lead to staining from the oils.
6. Dry at 150°F/65°C until hard and crumbly.
7. Store in an airtight container for up to two months (checking frequently for rancidity). These can be stored in the freezer to extend their shelf-life in a rigid container.

Watch me make bread crumbs!

How to Use Dehydrated Bread

Croutons

• Salads
• Stuffing bases

Bread Crumbs

• Breading for schnitzels, chicken nuggets, or fish
• Filler for meatballs and meatloaf
• Season and use as a pasta topper
• Lightly toast and use as a topper on a salad instead of large croutons
• Use as a topping on a baked casserole dish for some additional crunch. Great when blended with a little parmesan cheese and seasonings!
• Dredge raviolis in seasoned bread crumbs (or just sprinkle on top) and put in airfryer for crunchy toasted ravioli!

Try these other DIY Pantry Basics

• Brown Sugar
• Vegetable Stock
• Taco Soup in a Jar
• Hot Cocoa Mix

DIY Stuffing Mix

• Copycat Boxed Stuffing Mix
• Instant Stuffing Mix