- 1 large, fresh loaf Italian bread (preferably with sesame seeds on top), crust kept intact
- To make crumbs, preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the bread into 1-inch slices and lay them in a single layer on a wire cooling rack set on a shallow baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden all over. Turn off the heat and let the bread remain there until dry and very crisp, about 15 minutes. (If your oven runs hot, leave the door ajar while drying.) Remove from the oven and, when the slices are cool, crush them and drop into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process the bread until the crumbs are coarse or fine, depending on which type you want. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl and use as directed in your recipe or store them in an airtight canister for one week at room temperature.
- To make cubes, preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the bread (including the crust) into ½-inch slices, then stack two slices and cut them lengthwise into ½-inch strips. Cut these strips into ½-inch cubes. Continue until you’ve cut the entire loaf this way. Place the bread cubes on a shallow (not-too-dark) baking sheet in a single layer and bake until the cubes are dry and light golden all over, about 10 minutes. (If still somewhat soft, leave the cubes in a turned-off oven for 10 to 15 minutes with the door ajar. When done, the cubes should feel dry and hard.) Remove the baking sheet from the oven and use bread cubes as desired or allow them to cool completely before storing them in an airtight canister for one week at room temperature.