Key Takeaways for How To Bread Food

TL;DR? Here’s a quick summary of what to expect from this article:

• Breading food involves coating your food of choice with a layer of dry ingredients, like bread crumbs, before cooking it.
• Breading food can add a crispy texture to the outside of the food and prevent moisture loss during cooking.
• The standard breading procedure is a three-step process: coat the food in flour, dip it in beaten egg, and coat it in bread crumbs.
• You have various options for ingredient substitutions when it comes to breading food.

What does it mean to bread food?

Breading food is one of the many cooking techniques that makes food taste a whole lot better. It involves coating your food of choice with a layer of dry ingredients, like bread crumbs, before cooking it. When you bread chicken and cook it, for example, you’ll get a crispy, crunchy coating afterward and have an enhanced food flavor.

That’s probably why we already have different kinds of breaded food, like breaded pork chop, breaded fish for fish and chips, onion rings, and even zucchini fries. Breading just really brings out another taste dimension of the food.

Another good thing about breading is that it helps keep food moist when you deep-fry or pan-fry it. Of course, although breaded food is typically fried (even in an air fryer), you can also bake these foods and get good results.

How To Bread At Home – Things To Prepare

These are what you need to bread foods.

Ingredients:

• Food to be breaded (i.e. chicken cutlets)
• Flour
• Beaten eggs
• Bread crumbs, panko breadcrumbs, crushed crackers, or other types of dry ingredients for the breading
• Optional ingredients are salt and pepper, or parmesan cheese, if you want to have seasoned breadcrumbs

Equipment:

• Three shallow bowls or dishes
• A fork or a whisk
• Food processor, if you plan on making your own bread crumbs
• Tongs to handle the food
• Baking sheet or wire rack (only if you’re breading in advance)
• Deep fryer, pan, or air fryer (for cooking the breaded food)

The first step in breading anything is to prepare the food properly, whether you need to clean it, cut it up, or even season it to your taste. Take note that if you’re breading meat, pound it thin so it gets cooked all over. Ensure also that the food is as dry as possible, as excess moisture will prevent the breading from sticking properly to your food.

Now, remember our blog article about the best kitchen tips for beginners? You have to have your equipment on hand so that the entire procedure goes as smoothly as possible and you don’t get rushed or panicked.

Get your three bowls or dishes. Designate one for flour, one for beaten eggs, and one for your dry ingredient for breading, then fill them up. You’re now ready for the actual breading process.

How To Bread Food: The Three-Step Process

The usual or standard breading procedure is a three-step process. Basically, you first roll the food in some flour. Once the food is completely dredged in flour, you then dip it in beaten egg. Finally, you coat it in bread crumbs.

Do take note that this is a standard procedure. This may not be applicable if, say, you’re looking for steps on how to bread chicken for Chinese food. Got it?

Here’s a more in-depth look at this procedure.

Step 1: Coat the Food in Flour

The first step in the breading process is to coat the food in flour, then make sure to shake off any excess flour. Doing this will help the egg wash adhere to the food. It also creates a barrier between the food and the crumb coating you will make in the next few steps. 

Step 2: Dip the Food in Egg Wash

Get your food dredged in flour and then dip it into your beaten egg bowl. This is important to let the dry ingredient of your choice stick to the food and so you’ll get a crispy crust. Make sure the food is fully coated in the egg wash.

Step 3: Coat the Food in Breadcrumbs

Here’s the last step: coating in breadcrumbs! If you’re wondering how to coat food with bread crumbs, the last two steps were the key. If you skipped them, there’s no way the crumbs will stick to your food.

But since you didn’t, you only have to press the crumbs gently on the food’s surface until they stick. And that’s it–you have successfully breaded food!

Can You Bread Food Without Eggs?

You might have an egg allergy, dietary restriction, or ethical reasons, so you can’t have eggs. So can you bread food without using any eggs? The answer is yes. 

How to bread food without eggs, you ask? Instead of using beaten eggs, substitute it with an egg wash made with flour and water. It’s thick enough to use as a paste, which you can use in Step 2.

Can You Bread Something Without Flour?

What if you don’t have flour? Well, you can bread something without flour. Instead of dredging the food in flour, use seasoned bread crumbs or panko breadcrumbs. 

You can also try using baking powder, baking soda, or simply just pressing the meat over the crumbs until it’s fully coated. Hey, it works!

Tips and Tricks for Perfectly Breaded Food

Here are some things to keep in mind as you dredge and bread:

• If you want a really crispy coating, ensure the ingredients you use for your breading are dry.
• If you want extra crispy breading, re-do steps 1 to 3.
• Designate one hand as your dry hand for the dry ingredients and the other as your wet hand for the wet ingredients to avoid clumping and mess.
• You have many options for dry ingredients for breading. Choose from tempura, nuts, and even cornflakes. Just make sure they will enhance the flavor of what you’re cooking!
• For gluten-free breading (but not keto), you can use gluten-free flour, chickpea flour, coconut flour, cornstarch flour, cornmeal, and many other options in the market.
• If you forgot to buy bread crumbs or dry ingredients and you’re wondering, “Can I use bread as bread crumbs?”, well, you can! Simply place the bread in a food processor and pulse until you get fine crumbs.

Cooking the Breaded Food

Once your food is breaded, it’s time to cook it. The cooking method will depend on the type of food you’re making and the recipe you’re following, but some popular options include frying, baking, and air-frying. Whichever method you choose, be sure to preheat your cooking surface and oil or spray it with non-stick cooking spray.

Here are some tips for better cooking of your breaded food:

• Chilling breaded foods in the fridge before frying or air-frying will help the breading stay on the food. That also means you can bread food in advance. However, also take note that if the breaded food stays too long in the ref, it won’t be that crispy since it will absorb water and get soggy.
• When you’re cooking, keep an eye on your food to prevent it from burning. It will depend on the thickness of the food, but generally, each side should take 2-5 minutes before being cooked. A good sign is if you have achieved a golden-brown color.
• The amount of breading you use will depend on the recipe you’re following, but having more than what you need makes it easier for properly coated food. 
• If possible, use a pressure cooker or the sous vide avant-garde method to cook breaded food to help to keep the coating crispy and prevent it from falling off.
• If your cooking method is deep drying, ensure the oil is hot enough before placing the food in the pan so that the coating doesn’t become soggy.

Final Thoughts

Breading is a simple yet effective way to add both flavor and texture to your food. It’s pretty simple to do and can be done on different kinds of food. However you plan to cook the food, just have the correct ingredients and follow the standard breading procedure. Give it a try and enjoy delicious, crispy, crunchy, and perfectly golden brown food every single time!

Want To Try Breading At Home?

Now you might be wondering how to bread something, and you’re looking for more than just making the usual fried foods. Well, we have a suggestion: why not try making corn dogs?

If you’re like plenty of Pinoys who love all things Korean, like K-Pop, K-dramas (historical and otherwise), you’d likely love eating corn dogs too! That’s especially if they keep showing up in your favorite television series.

You won’t have a hard time making them, even if it’s your first attempt to bread anything…that is if you enroll in our latest class with Sir Rodney Martinez: K-Dog Express!

Take this course, and not only will you be able to try out your breading skills, but you’ll also be able to try breading with noodles, chips, and other ingredients! These corn dogs also come in more than one flavor–it’s definitely not going to be boring! And, of course, it helps that you get a bonus recipe for crispy Korean fried chicken, agree?

Plus, if you feel like you’ll have difficulty assembling the food or achieving a crispy coating, don’t worry. Sir Rodney has ensured that you’ll have easy-to-follow instructions in his video and plenty of cooking tips. You won’t need any advanced knife skills or anything like that to achieve delicious results!

Oh, and by the way, corn dogs aren’t popular yet in the Philippines. So why not enroll and be one of the first to make a corn dog food business?

Don’t delay: sign up at The Bailiwick Academy today and start making these fun treats!

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Keep coming back to The Bailiwick Academy blog for more kitchen tips, tricks, and much more!

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