Pain de mie is a French-style bread shaped like a traditional, square-edged slicing loaf similar to a Pullman loaf. Mie means “crumb” and is a breadbaker’s term that refers to the inside of bread—that which isn’t the crust. This bread is so named because, baked in a loaf pan, it doesn’t have a crust. Pain de mie contains a touch of sugar and butter so it makes for the most flavorful bread crumbs. If you can’t get pain de mie, substitute brioche, which is even more buttery.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 1/2 cup crumbs

　　1/2 cup finely ground fresh bread crumbs, preferably from pain de mie, brioche (crust removed), or another white bread that has a touch of butter in it

　　1 tablespoon finishing-quality extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

　　1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

　　

Step 1

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.

　　

Step 2

Spread the bread crumbs in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until they’re golden brown and crunchy, 10 to 12 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally for even cooking. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cool the crumbs to room temperature. Gradually drizzle half of the olive oil over the bread crumbs and add the salt. Stir to combine and add more olive oil as needed so the bread crumbs are moist but are not so wet that they clump together.

　　

Step 3

Use, or transfer the bread crumbs to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to three days.

　　The Mozza Cookbook