Homemade Pangrattato (Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs)

Homemade pangrattato – crispy Italian seasoned breadcrumbs made with stale bread, olive oil, and herbs.

Homemade Pangrattato (Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs)

Stop buying store-bought seasoned Italian breadcrumbs! Whip up your own homemade pangrattato in just 15 minutes using stale bread, extra-virgin olive oil and a simple Italian herb blend. It’s crunchier, cleaner (no weird additives), infinitely more flavorful and far more cost-effective. Once you taste it, you’ll never reach for that container of store-bought crumbs again.

Course toppings

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings tablespoons

Calories 29.21kcal

Author Priya Lakshminarayan

Equipment

Ingredients

4-5 slices leftover bread
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoon dried garlic or fresh garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Tear the bread into rough chunks. Use day-old or stale slices (it’s what traditional Italian cooks call cucina-povera material).
Transfer the bread pieces to a blender or food processor and use the “pulse” mode to blitz into coarse breadcrumbs. Work in batches if needed so you don’t end up with flour-fine crumbs.
Heat the oil. Warm up good quality extra-virgin olive oil in a sauté pan over low heat. This gentle start lets the oil absorb flavour without burning. Add the breadcrumbs to the oil and keep the flame low at first.
Then stir in dried garlic flakes, onion powder and red-pepper flakes. Continue to stir as the crumbs begin to color. Keep stirring to prevent the breadcrumbs from burning and to roast them evenly.
When the crumbs are starting to crisp, raise the heat to medium. Stir in oregano, dried parsley, thyme and rosemary, plus salt. Keep stirring and sauté for about 6-8 minutes or until the crumbs are golden and crisp. Be vigilant: once they brown they can burn fast.
Remove the pan from the heat immediately and transfer the pangrattato to a plate to cool completely (this stops the residual heat from carrying on cooking them). Once cool, store in a clean, dry jar.

Notes

You can make Pangrattato with any amount of leftover bread — just adjust the seasoning to taste. Lightly toast the bread first for a deeper, nutty flavor. When blending, pulse in short bursts (about 10 seconds each) until you get a coarse, crumbly texture — not a paste. Always toast the breadcrumbs on low heat, stirring continuously for even browning. This helps the Italian breadcrumbs turn perfectly golden and crisp without burning.

Nutrition