Looking for a home made pantry staple to brighten up an everyday meal? Think savory granola. Toasted Bread and Almond Crumble is the topping you’ve been craving. It gives zip to soft creamy foods.  Sprinkle it on salads, of course.  But also use it as a topping for soups, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables.  One thing you should not do, eat it with a spoon from the jar. You won’t want to stop.

Toasted Bread and Almond Crumble 3

Toasted Bread and Almond Crumble is ideal made using stale bread. (Everyone is baking at home right now. I bet there’s a partial loaf or two hanging around.) Sourdough boules are ideal. But a country white bread or even rye bread would work well too. Remove the crust because it will darken and become unpleasantly crisp after baking. Any herb seasoning blend work swell.  Just choose one that has a universal appeal and you’ll find more ways to use these crumbles. We like Herbes de Provence, which we bought from Penzey’s.  And we’ve done these with a Vadouvan curry seasoning from La Boîte too.

Toasted Bread and Almond Crumble

Yield: Approximately 1 ½ cups*

Toasted Bread and Almond Crumble

Ingredients

½ loaf country bread such as sourdough boule, crust removed

1 cup whole almonds

¼ teaspoon Herbes de Provence

¼ teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a small sheet pan with aluminum foil.
  2. Using a bread knife, cut the trimmed piece of country bread into ¼-inch thick slices. Dice the slices coarsely. Measure out 2 cups of the diced bread. Save the rest for another use.
  3. Place the diced bread into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse 7 or 8 times until most of the pieces are reduced to small dice. Place them in a mixing bowl.
  4. Place the almonds in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse 10 times counting 2 seconds each time until the nuts are coarsely chopped. Add to the mixing bowl.
  5. Season the diced bread and almond mixture with the Herbes de Provence, salt and olive oil. Toss until well coated. Spread the mixture out onto the prepared pan in an even layer.
  6. Bake the mixture in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. Stir the crumb and almond mixture with a flat metal spatula, turning and moving the crumbs around on the pan. Return the mixture to the oven to bake for a total of 15 to 20 minutes. Check and stir the crumbs every 4 or 5 minutes. They should be evenly golden brown and crisp without any burning.
  7. Allow to cool completely then store at room temperature in a container with a tight-fitting lid.

Notes

*The yield is approximate due to nibbling.