Bread Crumbs vs Panko: Difference and Comparison

Many people love eating crunchy meals. When it comes to cooking meals that are not just delicious but also have a great crunch in them, several different ingredients can be used.

Bread crumbs and Panko are two such ingredients that are widely used all around the world that not just increases the taste of the dish, but also adds crunchiness to it.

Though both of these ingredients seem similar because they are multiple similarities, they are two different ingredients.

Key Takeaways

1. Panko has a lighter, flakier texture than traditional bread crumbs, providing a crispier coating.
2. Bread crumbs come from various types of bread, while panko originates from crustless white bread.
3. Panko absorbs less oil during cooking, resulting in less greasy dishes.

Bread Crumbs vs Panko

The difference between bread crumbs and Panko is that bread crumbs are a very general word that is used to signify chopped and dried pieces of any regular bread. On the other hand, panko is a specific type of bread crumb made up of a specific type of dough.

As suggested by the name, bread crumbs are small pieces of bread that can be cut out of any type of bread and dried.

Once the pieces of the bread dry out, they become a bit hard in texture and can be easily crumbled by using any physical pressure.

These dried pieces of bread are known as bread crumbs.

Bread crumbs are of several different types, and one of the types of bread crumbs is known as panko. They are also known as Japanese panko bread crumbs.

They are specifically made up of regular white bread. The procedure of making Japanese panko bread crumbs is almost similar to that of making any other regular bread crumbs.

Comparison Table

Parameters of comparison	Bread crumbs	Panko
Type of bread dough used	Any regular bread dough	White bread dough
Usage	Used more commonly	Used less commonly
Crispiness	Less crispy	More crispy
Oil absorption	Absorbs more oil as compared to the panko	Absorbs less oil as compared to bread crumbs
The crust of the bread	Might or might not include the crust of the bread.	They are always crustless.
Drying method	Regular bread crumbs are dried naturally by keeping them either in a dry place at room temperature or under natural heat.	Panko bread crumbs are dried artificially by baking them in the oven under electric heat.

What is Bread Crumbs?

Bread Crumbs are the most basic type of ingredient that is available in almost every kitchen.

The reason why bread crumbs are so popular and widely used in almost every kitchen is that they are very easy to make and can do increase the crunchiness of the meals to a great level.

Bread crumbs can be made out of any type of bread. That is to say, any type of bread dough can be used to make bread crumbs, such as white bread dough, brown bread dough, or any other such dough. 

Depending upon what type of bread dough has been used to make the bread crumbs, bread crumbs can be divided into several different varieties.

Some of the most popular types of bread crumbs are Italian bread crumbs, Portuguese bread crumbs, and Japanese bread crumbs.

In the making of bread crumbs, one can add extra ingredients to it to increase the flavor and the crispiness of the bread crumbs.

Some of the major ingredients which are used in the making of bread crumbs are whole wheat flour, sourdough, mixed herbs, rye, and other such spices and ingredients.

What is Panko?

As mentioned earlier, depending upon what type of bread dough has been used to make the bread crumbs, the variety of the bread crumbs differs.

Panko bread crumbs are one such variety of bread crumbs, which are popularly known as Japanese bread crumbs or Japanese panko bread crumbs.

Consequently, the factor that makes Japanese panko bread crumbs different from other varieties of bread crumbs is that they are made up of white bread dough.

However, just like other regular bread crumbs, more ingredients can be added in the making of the Japanese panko bread crumbs to increase the taste and the crispiness of the bread crumbs.

Moreover, Japanese panko bread crumbs are one of the most popular types of bread crumbs as compared to the rest of the varieties.

The major reason behind that is that panko bread crumbs are more efficient at increasing the crispiness of the meal.

The reason behind that is that panko bread crumbs absorb a lesser amount of oil while they are getting fried. As a result, they are less saturated in terms of any liquid which consequently helps them stay crispier.

Apart from that, panko bread crumbs also have further varieties under them depending upon the ingredients that are used in the making.

One of the most used varieties of Japanese panko bread crumbs is gluten-free panko bread crumbs.

Main Differences Between Bread Crumbs and Panko

1. Bread crumbs can be made out of any regular type of bread dough. On the other hand, Japanese panko bread crumbs are made from the dough of regular white bread.
2. Regular bread crumbs are not as crispy as compared to Japanese panko bread crumbs. Whereas, the crispiness level of Japanese panko bread is more as compared to that of regular bread crumbs.
3. Regular bread crumbs absorb more amount of cooking oil while they are being fried or cooked along with any other meal as compared to Japanese panko bread crumbs. On the contrary, Japanese panko bread crumbs absorb less amount of cooking oil while they are being fried or cooked along with any other meal as compared to regular bread crumbs.
4. Regular bread crumbs may or may not include the crust of the bread. On the other hand, Japanese panko bread crumbs never include the crust of the bread.
5. Regular bread crumbs are dried naturally by keeping them in a dry place. On the other hand, Japanese panko bread crumbs are dried by baking them using electric current.

References

1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10853-005-5021-x
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0733521018306349

Last Updated : 15 July, 2023