Panko breadcrumbs are usually available in a box in the ‘ethnic’ aisle in the supermarket, but as we eat a hugely international selection of food these days, the ‘Ethnic’ aisle should almost be a thing of the past.
In any case, I’m way too mean to buy breadcrumbs in a box, when I can make them myself with bread from my local bakery. It’s like my crouton recipe https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/homemade-croutons/ which isn’t a recipe at all..
Let’s have a go, and then you can make my Matsu Chicken recipe..
EQUIPMENT:
- A grater – a food processor is good for this, especially if you’re making a large quantity.
- a baking tray, or two
- Something in which to store your Panko breadcrumbs
INGREDIENTS:
- Crust-less bread – slightly stale. About 6 slices, all finely grated
METHOD:
- Heat the oven to 160 Fan
- Spread out the breadcrumbs onto the baking tray – roast for about 8 minutes.
- Take the tray out of the oven and move the crumbs around, for even baking.
- Return to the oven for another 5 minutes or so, until the crumbs are nicely tanned and very dry.
- Allow the crumbs to cool completely on the baking tray.
- Pack away in an air-tight container until you need them – they’ll be good for about 2 weeks, .
NOTES:
- Your local baker might actually do bags of their own fresh bread crumbs, so always ask. I hate grating bread (or grating anything to be honest), so I’m delighted if I find a bag of reputable crumbs to save me the bother.
- As you’re putting them away, make sure that the crumbs are very fine – break up any larger bits which might have slipped through.
- Of course you can freeze them too. If they’re frozen, just use them straight from the freezer – they don’t need to be defrosted.
I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx