Brown Butter Breadcrumbs

Got a pile of leftover bread hanging around? Turn it into brown butter breadcrumbs and stash them in the fridge for a magic sprinkle on… well, everything.

Ingredients & Method:

3 cups leftover bread, torn or cut into cubes (crusts are great too!)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1-2 tablespoons olive oil (optional, helps prevent butter from burning)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (to taste)
Optional flavor add-ins:
1 teaspoon dried herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary, etc)
pinch of chili flakes
freshly cracked black pepper

Toast the bread: preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast for 10-12 minutes, just until dried out but not browned. Let cool.

Make breadcrumbs: transfer the toasted bread to a food processor and pulse into coarse crumbs.

Brown the butter: melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. As it foams, swirl the pan occasionally until the milk solids turn golden and smell nutty.

Toast the crumbs: Add the breadcrumbs to the brown butter. Season with salt and cook 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until evenly coated, golden, and crisp.

Optional seasoning: stir in the herbs, chili flakes, or pepper and the end off heat to avoid burning.

Cool & store: let the crumbs cool completely, then transferred to an air-tight container and store in the fridge.

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