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Bread-crumbs
Created by Chef Juliette
Chapelure turns stale white bread into the canon's quiet workhorse: an even crumb for coating, thickening, and finishing, made by rubbing and sieving rather than grinding it to dust.
Chapelure (bread crumbs) teaches a small principle with a long reach: texture must suit the dish that receives it. Fine chapelure gives croquettes and cutlets a close, even coat; a coarser crumb leaves a gratin with more character under the teeth. Before you touch a pan, know this one true thing: the bread must be stale enough to separate under your fingers, but never toasted or dried hard.
The old formula assumed a brigade's steady supply of white bread trimmings, a large linen towel, and a service container waiting beside the stove. Here the batch is reduced to 225 g, enough for several home dishes, and the convenient receptacle becomes an ordinary lidded container. The large batch and service tub were scaffolding. Rubbing the crumb inside a closed towel and grading it through a sieve are the preparation itself, so they stay.
Proper chapelure is pale, dry to the touch, and remarkably even, without becoming flavorless powder. Close the towel firmly before rubbing and choose the sieve according to the finished dish. Those two decisions matter most.
Ingredients
stale inner crumb from a plain white loaf
Quantity
About 5 loosely packed cups (1.2 L / 225 g)
crusts removed and broken into walnut-size pieces
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| stale inner crumb from a plain white loafcrusts removed and broken into walnut-size pieces | About 5 loosely packed cups (1.2 L / 225 g) |
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