Make Panko Bread Crumbs

Panko bread crumbs have a coarse, airy texture. This makes them a chef's favorite when breading meat or fish, creating a lighter, crunchier surface than regular breadcrumbs. The panko you buy from a store has a complicated history: as one factory described it, panko comes from a high-protein, triple-risen dough cooked by electrical current to avoid creating a crust. That sounds a little ambitious for a home project, but you can get close enough using a normal loaf and oven. The key is to make large, coarse flakes instead of a fine powder.

Steps

1. Cut the crusts off a dry loaf of bread. Panko bread crumbs are used for texture and absorbency, not flavor. A mild-flavored white bread is a common choice for this reason, but you can use anything on hand. The loaf should be a day or two old, dry enough to crumble apart but not completely stale. Cut off the crust from all sides.
   • "White panko," made from crustless bread, is the most popular kind. You can leave the crusts on to make "tan panko" instead.
   • If the bread is still fresh, cut off the crust and leave it to dry on the counter for a day.
2. Shred into coarse flakes. The defining difference between panko and ordinary bread crumbs is panko's large, flaky texture. There are three ways to achieve this with home implements:
   • Push strips of bread through the shredding disc attachment on a food processor.
   • Cube the bread and pulse in a blender once or twice, or until coarse. This is a less consistent method.
   • Grate by hand using the largest holes on your grater.
3. Spread the bread crumbs onto baking sheets. Keep them in thin layers so they dry evenly without burning.
4. Dry for four minutes in a preheated oven. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150ºC). Once the oven is warmed up, put the baking sheets inside and set a timer for four minutes.
5. Shake the baking sheets. Shake or stir the bread crumbs to move them around the pan. Panko crumbs are dry but never browned, so it's important to heat them as evenly as possible.
6. Bake for a few more minutes. Bake for another three or four minutes, then take them out of the oven. It's better to take them out too early than too late, although they are still usable if they brown a little.
   • If the breadcrumbs still feel soft after four or five minutes, turn off the oven and let them dry at a lower temperature as the oven cools.
7. Cool the bread crumbs on the baking sheets. Allow them to cool for at least an hour. They will continue to dry out as they cool.
   • If they're still soft after they reach room temperature, return them to the oven.
8. Store in airtight containers. Once completely dry, store the breadcrumbs in a dry, airtight container. They should last at least a week at room temperature, or six months in the freezer.
   • The bread crumbs often last longer as long as they are kept dry, since bacteria and mold require moisture. As long as they don't smell or look different, they should be fine to eat. If they get soft, reheat them in the oven.

Tips

• One 700 gram (1.5 lbs.) loaf of French bread will yield about 4 cups (0.95 liters) of bread crumbs.
• In Japan, panko is often made from "milk rolls," an extra soft bread started with a milk and flour mixture.
• If the bread clumps or turns gummy while you're trying to break it into crumbs, the bread is not dry enough. Leave it to dry on the counter for another day, or put the loaf in the oven at minimum temperature.

Things You'll Need

• Day-old loaf of French bread or other white bread
• Oven
• Baking sheets
• Food processor with shredder disc (may substitute blender or hand grater)
• Bread knife

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Sources and Citations

See also

• Make Cheesy Bread
• Make Oatmeal Bread
• Make Squaw Bread
• Make Gluten‐Free Croutons
• Make a Traditional Jewish Style Deli Water Bagel
• Make Bhatura
• Make Bread
• Make Irish Soda Bread
• Make Bread Bowls
• Make Crumpets

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