Homemade Breadcrumbs

Since I am making meatballs this week, I thought it was about time I used all of the frozen ends and scraps of bread I had squirreled away in my freezer.  As you know, I bake bread each week.  Although lovely in taste and crumb, it doesn't keep as long as the bread you get in the store with all of its long-lasting preservatives.  This results in me popping the remains in the freezer as soon as the bread is no longer fresh, but not yet stale.

First, I took all of the bread out of the freezer and popped it on a cookie sheet.  I baked it at 350 degrees for around 20 minutes until the bread was dry and crispy, but not browning too much.

I then broke up the larger pieces and put them all in my food processor.

To this, I added 1/8 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon dried basil, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper.  I ground it up, poured it all into a plastic ziplock bag, and then popped it in the freezer.

According to a few sources, they should keep for about a year in the freezer (no need to thaw) and a few months in the fridge.

One final picture of Charlie the Goldendoodle for your viewing pleasure.  He also loves breadcrumbs due to their crunchiness.

Enjoy!