Why This Recipe Works?
Fresh panko bread crumbs puff up when fried due to the evaporation of moisture in the bread. This creates a lighter crust for fried food. The crust of bread is more dense than the white center and removing it makes the panko lighter. Using a food processor allows you to make coarse panko which allows for a thicker coating of crisp breading.
Panko vs Bread Crumbs
Although both Japanese panko and regular bread crumbs are made from crumbled bread, the type of bread they’re made from and a different method of production results in two different ingredients. Western bread crumbs are usually made from bread that’s been baked until it contains almost no moisture. This is then ground into a powder that resembles coarse sand. This creates a thin, crunchy coating on fried foods. Japanese panko is made by shredding fresh sandwich bread into larger, airy flakes. When coated with panko, fried foods take on a light, crispy texture.
Ingredients
The only ingredient you need to make homemade panko is Japanese sandwich bread. Also known as shokupan or Japanese milk bread, it has a plush and elastic texture that makes it shred rather than crumble. The irregular shards of bread create a more airy coating, which is part of what gives panko its unique texture. I like using thicker slices of bread, especially if you plan on manually grating it with a cheese grater because it’s easier to handle. If you can’t find Japanese sandwich bread, fluffy white bread with a soft elastic crumb will do the trick.
Panko Pronunciation
Panko is a 2-syllable name pronounced as follows (read the italicized parts).
pan like pond ko like cooperate
How to Make Panko Bread Crumbs
Start by trimming away the crusts from the sandwich bread with a knife. The crust is more dense than the white center of the bread, so removing them contributes to a lighter panko. (Don’t throw away those crusts! Find out what I like to do with them here.) Slice the bread into 1-inch cubes, taking care not to squish these airy building blocks of deliciousness. Place the cubed bread in a food processor and pulse it —about 1-2 seconds each. Aim for 10-12 pulses to get coarsely textured panko. Bigger crumbs ensure a thicker coating of crispy goodness. The magic in panko happens when it hits hot oil, and I prefer using Japanese breadcrumbs fresh, without dehydrating them. That’s because the moisture in the fresh bread evaporates as it fries. This causes the panko to puff slightly before crisping, making it ethereally light and airy. The only downside with fresh panko is that it needs to be used within a few days, so if you want to store it, I recommend dehydrating it at a low temperature in the oven. Twenty to thirty minutes at 285°F (140°C) should do the trick.
Make Panko without a Food Processor
Panko can also be made without a food processor by freezing the bread first, and then using a cheese grater with large holes to grate the frozen bread. This doesn’t work quite as well as the food processor method because the size of your panko will be determined by the size of the holes in your grater, but still produces fluffy panko that will work in a pinch.
How to Use Panko Breadcrumbs
Panko’s coarse, airy structure makes it the ideal breading choice for anything requiring a crispy coating—think Chicken Katsu, Fried Shrimp, Korokke, Tonkatsu, or my Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan. But panko isn’t just an excellent coating. I also like using it as a crunchy topping for dishes like my Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese or my Green Tomato Gratin. Even simpler dishes like oven-baked fish or roasted vegetables can be transformed with a light sprinkle of panko, which crisps up beautifully in the oven. Because Panko breadcrumbs are so adept at soaking up moisture without getting soggy, they’re a fantastic addition to Meatloaf, Meatballs, or Japanese Hamburg Steak to help them retain moisture while making them tender.
📖 Recipe
