The Humble Breadcrumb

And the Panzanella it deserves

Blessed are those with buy their breadcrumbs at the store. ‘Tis a fool, methinks.

Making breadcrumbs at home - ideally locally purchased from a praticioner of the bread arts - is a simple act, but the outcome is a thing of beauty.

First, there is the utility: you are resurrecting bread that has passed the time for fresh slicing and eating. This avoids waste, saves money, and encourages a bit of frugality in the kitchen, which serves a cook well, I think.

And second, the taste: slicked with olive oil, golden brown and craggy, crunchy but yielding, these homemade breadcrumbs are primed for drive-by, mindless snacking. But using them to build a new dish entirely - say, a panzanella - is a way to really appreciate them more fully.

This is exactly what I did when, last week, I rescued a fading loaf of benne-crusted sourdough from Brandon’s Bread, a vendor at Hampton Park Farmer’s Market. After a few days, I took what was left, made breadcrumbs, and engineered a broccoli rabe panzanella that was way better than it had any right being.

Here’s the recipe: