- One day-old 1-pound loaf Italian bread, with crust, or day-old 1-pound loaf sliced white bread, with crust
- If using Italian bread, cut it into pieces. Lay the bread pieces or slices in a single layer on a tray and allow to dry, uncovered, at least overnight. In humid weather, it may take a day and a half. The bread should be completely dry. The longer the bread has dried, the finer and more uniform the crumbs and the smaller their measure.
- Pulse the bread in a food processor. Italian bread may also be grated on the smallest holes of a four-sided grater. (Grating works well if the bread was left over uncut and is now too hard to cut into pieces.) Sieve all crumbs to get rid of overly large ones. Store in a brown paper—not plastic—bag.