Gluten Free Croutons/Bread Crumbs

Ugh! Bread crumbs were the bane of my existence for awhile. Everything I wanted to make seemed to need them. This was early on in my relationship with my wife and I was still getting used to the joys of gluten free cooking. I wanted to make eggplant parmesan and the traditional recipe that I have needs a lot of bread crumbs. The local supermarket that shall remain nameless sold gluten free bread crumbs but they were not my favorite. Nonetheless, I didn't think I had much of a choice, so off I went.

Oh No! They had discontinued selling them! What was a guy who really wanted to impress his girlfriend to do? Time was ticking and the eggplant wasn't cooking itself. I panicked for a few minutes and then realized, I can make my own. 8~D

So I bought a loaf of gluten free bread and here is the recipe:

1 loaf of gluten free bread, cut into 1 x 2 inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
Dried parsley to taste
Dried oregano to taste
Dried basil to taste
Granulated garlic to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper.

Toss the bread pieces in a bowl with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. I don't measure this, but the amount will vary depending on the size of the loaf. Go light. The gluten free bread I use is a small sized loaf.

Put the bread on the baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.

Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes. The pieces should essentially get hard and crispy and browned and look like croutons - which is what they are essentially at this point.

Let the croutons cool for a few minutes so you can handle them and them put them in a food processor and pulverize the little guys until they are bread crumbs. Easy peasy. (Note: If you want garlic croutons, season the bread with garlic before cooking.)

For Italian-style bread crumbs, mix in the dried spices - garlic, oregano, basil, and parsley. I sprinkle a light layer of each spice over the top of the crumbs and then mix and taste. I usually do this 2-3 times till I get the right taste. You might need to add a little more salt as well.

This recipe, using small loaf (12-14 oz), makes about 3 cups of bread crumbs.