How to make breadcrumbs from stale bread, simply and with no waste

October 31, 2026

Homemade bread and a Vokshus bread bag on the worktop

Dry bread is not rubbish. In under an hour, the leftovers turn into breadcrumbs with more flavour than the ones you buy. All you need is an oven and a food processor, or a rolling pin.

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Short answer: Cut the bread into pieces, and dry them in the oven at 130 °C for 20 to 30 minutes. Let them cool, and blitz them into crumbs in a food processor. Keep the crumbs dry in an airtight box, or freeze them.

How to do it

Set the oven to 130 °C.
Cut the bread into pieces of about 2 cm, and lay them in one layer on a baking tray.
Dry the pieces for 20 to 30 minutes. Stir once along the way.
The pieces are ready when they are completely dry and snap. They should not turn dark.
Let them cool completely on the tray.
Blitz the pieces in a food processor until the crumbs are as fine as you like.

If you have no food processor, put the pieces in a clean bag and roll over them with a rolling pin.

Which bread works?

Any bread can be used, as long as it smells and looks fine. White bread gives pale, neutral crumbs. Wholemeal and sourdough give more flavour and a darker colour. Use what you have, including the ends.

Fresh or dry crumbs?

Dry crumbs: Give a crisp coating, and they keep for a long time in the cupboard.
Fresh crumbs: Blitz the bread straight in the food processor without drying it. They suit mince mixtures and meatballs, and they must be frozen the same day.

How to store the crumbs

Dry crumbs keep in an airtight box in a cool, dry place for about 1 month. Freeze fresh crumbs in a bag or box, and take out exactly what you need. They keep for about 3 months in the freezer.

What you can use them for

Coating fish and chicken
A crisp topping for gratins, with a little butter and grated cheese
Meatballs and patties
Pasta with toasted crumbs, garlic and oil
Norwegian apple dessert: Fry the crumbs with butter and sugar, and layer them with apple sauce and cream

Better still: throw away less bread

Crumbs are a fine rescue, but it is better still when the bread gets eaten. Put the bread in the bread bag and put the bag in the fridge, and it stays soft for longer. Whatever you will not get through, freeze in the same bag.

Bivoks™ bread bag299 NOK

Cotton and linen with beeswax on the inside. Measures 30.5 × 43 cm, closes with a clip and can go in the freezer.

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Frequently asked questions

Are breadcrumbs and coating crumbs the same?

Yes, in practice. Coating crumbs are simply fine, dry breadcrumbs.

Can I season the crumbs?

Yes. Mix in herbs, salt or paprika just before use, so the crumbs keep as long as possible.

Can I make crumbs in a frying pan?

Yes. Toast fresh crumbs over a medium heat with a little butter until golden, and use them straight away.

Why did the crumbs go soft in the box?

The pieces were not completely dry, or they were not cold when they went in the box. Dry them for a few more minutes in the oven.

Is the bread only a little dry? See how to refresh dry bread.

More bread eaten, less bread thrown away

The Bivoks™ bread bag is made for the bread you bake yourself, and it can go in both the fridge and the freezer.