Everyday kitchen · Easy
Whole-wheat herb breadcrumbs
Turn whole-wheat bread into crisp, oven-dried crumbs seasoned with dried oregano. Use them to top baked vegetables and casseroles or to coat foods before baking.
- Prep
- 5 minutes
- Total time
- 82 minutes
- Portions
- 10
Estimated nutrition
| Nutrient | Per portion | Whole batch |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 61 kcal | 610 kcal |
| Protein | 3 g | 30.1 g |
| Carbs | 10.4 g | 103.9 g |
| Fiber | 1.5 g | 15.3 g |
| Sugars | 1 g | 10.5 g |
| Added sugars | 0–1.1 g | 0–10.5 g |
| Fat | 0.8 g | 8.5 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.2 g | 1.8 g |
| Sodium | 109 mg | 1093 mg |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
How these estimates work
Per portion and for your whole batch. These are ingredient-based estimates, not laboratory-tested nutrition facts. Optional ingredients are excluded.
Estimate includes all bread and oregano, divided into ten portions. Oven drying removes water, not nutrients, so batch totals equal the bread used. Commercial bread may contain added sugar; the estimate shows added sugars as a range. Sodium depends heavily on the brand. A topping component; the food it tops is not included.
USDA FoodData Central references. Brands, food varieties, preparation and portion size change the result. Added sugars assume plain, unsweetened ingredients; for prepared breads and sauces, a range shows zero to the reference food’s total sugar because the added amount is unspecified.
Ingredients, sources & assumptions
All listed edible food and oil are counted as eaten. Cooking losses and final cooked weight are not measured. Some ingredients use a stated reference food or a proxy for a missing nutrient. No personalized dietary advice.
Bread, whole-wheat, commercially prepared · 240 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceSpices, oregano, dried · 2 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceCalculation version 2. Source records and method are documented in our nutrition guide.
Nutrition guidancePer portion and for your whole batch. These are ingredient-based estimates, not laboratory-tested nutrition facts. Optional ingredients are excluded.
Estimate includes all bread and oregano, divided into ten portions. Oven drying removes water, not nutrients, so batch totals equal the bread used. Commercial bread may contain added sugar; the estimate shows added sugars as a range. Sodium depends heavily on the brand. A topping component; the food it tops is not included.
USDA FoodData Central references. Brands, food varieties, preparation and portion size change the result. Added sugars assume plain, unsweetened ingredients; for prepared breads and sauces, a range shows zero to the reference food’s total sugar because the added amount is unspecified.
Let’s make it
Steps at a glance 5 steps
Amounts below match your selected batch. Follow each short step, and use timers as reminders to check the food.
Equipment
Kitchen scale that reads to 0.1 g · Oven · Food processor · One or two rimmed baking sheets · Spatula · Clean, dry airtight jar
- 1
Heat the oven and tear the bread
Heat the oven to 300°F / 150°C, about 15 minutes. Check 240 g whole-wheat bread and discard the whole loaf if any part has mold. Tear the slices, crusts included, into rough pieces.
- 2
Make the crumbs
Pulse the bread in a food processor until fine to medium crumbs form, working in batches if the bowl is crowded. Spread the crumbs in a thin, even layer on one or two rimmed baking sheets.
- 3
Dry in the oven and cool
Bake 18 to 25 minutes, stirring every 7 or 8 minutes, until the crumbs are completely dry, crisp and lightly golden throughout. Pinch a few: they should crumble, with no soft or springy centers. Cool completely on the trays, about 30 minutes.
- 4
Season and jar
Crumble 2 g dried oregano between your fingertips over the cooled crumbs and stir well. Spoon into a clean, completely dry airtight jar and label it with the date.
- 5
Use them
Sprinkle a portion over vegetables or casseroles before baking, or use it to coat foods before they go in the oven. Once the crumbs are on cooked food, refrigerate leftovers of that food at 40°F / 4°C or colder within 2 hours. For coating raw meat, fish or egg-dipped foods, put a portion of crumbs into a separate dish. Discard any crumbs that touched raw food; never return them to the storage jar.
My private recipe notes
Your notes don’t change this recipe’s dietary tags or nutrition.
How did this recipe turn out?
After trying it, share what you loved or help us make it better. You can change your vote anytime.
Loading community feedback…
Make it work for you
For kids & different preferences
Loose dry crumbs can make children cough if inhaled; they are easiest to eat baked onto a food rather than sprinkled loose. Children can tear bread with clean hands under supervision; adults handle the processor and oven. Contains wheat; check the bread label for other allergens. Not age-specific feeding guidance.
Storage & packed lunches
Store fully dried, cooled crumbs airtight in a cool, dry cupboard for up to 2 weeks for quality; discard if they smell stale or show any mold. If crumbs are not fully dry, redry them or refrigerate at 40°F / 4°C and use within 3 days. Food you top or coat with them follows cooked-food rules: refrigerate at 40°F / 4°C or colder within 2 hours (within 1 hour above 90°F / 32°C).
Freezing & reheating
Freeze airtight for up to 1 month; use straight from the freezer.
Not needed. To recrisp, spread on a tray and warm briefly in a low oven, then cool before jarring.
If something looks different
Uneven browning means the layer was too thick or not stirred often enough; use two trays. Crumbs that soften in the jar were not fully dried or cooled before sealing; redry them.
Something wrong with an ingredient or instruction? Tell us
Updated 2026-10-29
Bethany’s Kitchen · /recipes/whole-wheat-herb-breadcrumbs · Original instructions and generated food illustration. General culinary practice informed the method; no third-party prose or photograph copied. Not physically kitchen-tested or human-reviewed.