I’m a texture girly – I love when food is chewy, crispy, crunchy, cheesy… you name it, I’m in it for the texture. This pan-toasted Italian breadcrumb recipe is perfect for adding a bit of crunch to various dishes, like your favorite pasta, baked foods, breaded chicken, and yes, even salads. They’re like teeny tiny croutons that won’t break your teeth.
Bread is a cornerstone ingredient in every Italian household, and we get really creative with how we use it, too! In Italian, the word for these breadcrumbs is “pangrattato.” Directly translated it means “scratched bread,” sorta like “pulled apart bread.” My grandma was from Calabria (the toe of the boot) and she loved cooking for everyone. She’s who I learned to cook and bake from, and this breadcrumb recipe is my nod to her and our family in Southern Italy, who made absolutely everything from scratch.
This recipe is best made with stale bread, and of course you know I’m gonna recommend you use a homemade bread loaf for that! 😅 Whether you’re using a baguette or a fluffier bread like focaccia, it’ll soon become impossible to settle for shelf-stable store-bought crumbs (yeah, even those fancy panko breadcrumbs)! Use your breadcrumbs to top anything and everything, from adding a crunchy layer to homemade ricotta dip to giving simple pasta dishes an extra wow-factor!
why this Italian breadcrumb topping works:
🌿 fresh flavor. This easy recipe is packed with flavor thanks to a quick infused fresh garlic oil and chopped herbs. You really can’t beat the flavor of these crunchy crumbs.
🍞 homemade star. There’s just really no comparison flavor wise from between a shelf stable container that’s been on a grocery shelf for god knows how long to homemade breadcrumbs, especially when you’re using bread that you’ve baked yourself.
🙌 overachieving ingredient. These babies are versatile, you can use them as a crunchy topping on your favorite dishes from pasta to salads, and you can even use them in other recipes as an ingredient!
🛒 ingredients
See the recipe card for the exact quantities.
🍳 step-by-step process for making your bread crumbs
1: Remove crusts from bread slices and tear into small pieces.
2: Pulse bread pieces in food processor until evenly sized crumbs form.
3: Heat olive oil and garlic in a large skillet until fragrant.
4: Add breadcrumbs to the flavored oil.
5: Add parmesan cheese.
6: Continue toasting until the mix gets crispy, starts to brown, and is well combined.
7: Add in your herbs and seasonings.
8: Use immediately or allow the breadcrumbs to cool before storing.
Hint: Keep a close eye on the breadcrumbs while toasting – they can go from golden to burnt quickly!
Wanna save this recipe for later? 📬
I'll email this recipe post to you so you can have it for later!
💡tips & tricks for getting it right
🍽️ how to serve your crunchy crumbs
- top it off – These toasted breadcrumbs are the best thing to use for adding a crunchy layer to any of your favorite recipes. They work so well on simple pasta dishes like linguine with pesto or a heartier baked pasta, and even take side dishes like sautéed green beans and potatoes au gratin to the next level!
- salad topper – these crisp breadcrumbs are also a great way to add extra flavor on salads instead of croutons!
- upgraded ingredient – these crunchy Italian breadcrumbs are a great addition in other recipes like meatballs, meatloaf, burgers…you name it! You can swap these in anywhere that you use store bought crumbs to add moisture to the final dish.
ℹ️ troubleshooting tips
- not evenly toasted – If your breadcrumbs aren’t uniform in size, they will not toast evenly, so make sure to get them as evenly chopped as possible in your food processor.
- inconsistently sized crumbs – remove the crust from your bread before processing. The crust is harder and darker, which means it won’t process evenly with the rest of the bread. If you don’t remove the crust, you’ll end up with inconsistent sizes; some powdered fine crumbs and some larger coarse crumbs. For the most even texture, stick to using just the middle of the bread, without the crust.
⚖️ scaling tips
This recipe is super easy to scale up or down, and I often do this based on how many slices of leftover bread I have. When I know I need a lot of crunchy breadcrumbs, for instance to top mac & cheese or topping a large pasta dish for a crowd, I double the recipe. Very often though, I just make a small batch using one to three slices of bread when I’ve got stale sourdough bread I baked the week before.
♻️ customize your pangrattato recipe
- mix up the herbs – I love using a mix of fresh parsley, basil, and oregano. But you can really get creative with the herbs and make your own blends! I’ve also tried using a combo of fresh rosemary and thyme for a “holiday blend” too!
- dried herbs instead of fresh – if you aren’t using your breadcrumbs right away, you may want to use dried herbs instead of fresh as the fresh herbs will discolor and lose their bright flavor the longer you store them.
- types of bread – I love using different kinds of bread for these breadcrumbs. Focaccia is great, sourdough sandwich bread is great, or plain Italian baguettes work wonderful too! The best part about this recipe is you can literally use whatever extra bread you have on hand.
🧰 equipment needed & storage tips
🫙 how to store homemade breadcrumbs
Store your finished bread crumbs in a cool dry place once they are cooled. If you live in a humid environment like I do (#Florida), Make sure to throw your breadcrumbs in an airtight container in the fridge. This will keep them from rehydrating and needing to be toasted out again. You can also stash them in the freezer to lengthen the shelf life.
💬 q+a
Can I use fresh bread instead of stale bread?
Yes, you sure can! It may take a little longer to toast them, but they’ll still come out tasting delicious!
If you make this recipe, please leave a review in the comments and a star rating!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I read every single comment! I also love connecting on social media, so snap a pic and hashtag it #myrecipeforfun and tag me on Instagram, TikTok, or pin this recipe on Pinterest!
Pangrattato (Crispy Seasoned Italian Breadcrumbs)
Wanna save this recipe for later? 📬
I’ll email this recipe post to you so you can have it for later!
Ingredients
- 170 g stale bread about 1/2 loaf, 2 cups
- 10 g parmesan finely shredded, 1/3 cup
- 1.5 tbsp oil
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- ½ tsp fresh oregano minced
- ½ tsp fresh parsley minced
- ½ tsp fresh basil minced
- ½ tsp fresh rosemary minced
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- pinch paprika
Instructions
- Prep your bread. Cut any hardened crust off of your bread. While it can be tempting to leave it on, hard crust will not create even breadcrumbs.170 g stale bread
- Process bread slices. Pulverize bread in food processor. You may have to do this in batches depending how much bread you have.170 g stale bread
- Heat and infuse your oil. Heat the oil in a skillet and put the garlic in for 1-2 minutes to flavor the oil.1.5 tbsp oil, 2 cloves garlic
- Toast breadcrumbs. Add your breadcrumbs to the oil and garlic, allowing them to toast on medium-low heat for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.
- Add parmesan. Add in the parmesan cheese, stirring to coat the breadcrumbs.10 g parmesan
- Continue to toast. Cook your breadcrumbs until they reach your desired level of toastiness and become a deep golden brown color.
- Add herbs and seasonings. Add in your chopped herbs, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Stir well to combine and remove from the heat.1/2 tsp fresh oregano, 1/2 tsp fresh parsley, 1/2 tsp fresh basil, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, pinch paprika, 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary
- Use or cool and store. Use your breadcrumbs immediately or allow your breadcrumbs to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. If you live in a humid environment, you may want to store your breadcrumbs in the fridge to prevent them from rehydrating.
These are so good to add a little something extra to my pasta. The kids love it!