Growing up in the Czech Republic, I don’t think I remember my mother, aunt, or my grandmother to ever use breadcrumbs that were not home made.  Not until I came to the United States, did I even think you can buy breadcrumbs in a regular store; perhaps a bakery. Don’t take me wrong, I love the variety of breadcrumbs that one can get in a grocery store here in the States (panko, flavored with spaces, gluten free…) however the price of a bag of breadcrumbs always take me aback.  It is just old bread that you run through a food-processor.  The amount of time you run it through dictates the coarseness.  And the price is free!

So, the next time you have some old bread, baguette, ciabatta, English muffin, bagel, or any other kind of bread, put it aside in a cool, dry place, let it completely dry out and when you have enough to make it worth breaking out the food-processor, break it in smaller pieces (sometimes I use a zip-log bag and a rolling pin to break bigger chunks) and then run it for a few minutes (until the desired coarseness) and you just save yourself a bunch of money.  No added preservatives,  fresh breadcrumbs!

These home made breadcrumbs are perfect for making Fried Meat Patties “Smažené karbanátky” and Rizek (Breaded Scaloppini).