Gluten-free bread crumbs

Tear the bread into small pieces and dry them on a baking tray at 120°C for about 20–30 minutes, turning once. Cool completely, then blitz to the texture you want; the crumbs should feel dry before you store them.

Pat the pieces dry, coat them in gluten-free flour, dip in beaten egg, then press firmly into the crumbs. For a crisp oven-baked coating, arrange on a lightly oiled tray and bake at 200°C until golden and cooked through.

Keep fully dried homemade crumbs in an airtight container in a cool, dry cupboard, or freeze them if you have made a large batch. You can use frozen crumbs straight from the freezer for coating or toppings.

Use them to bind fishcakes, coat Scotch eggs or top macaroni cheese before baking. For fishcakes, mix a small handful into the mashed potato and fish, then use more crumbs on the outside for a crisp crust.

Crushed gluten-free cornflakes give a crisp, chunky coating; polenta makes a finer, golden crust. Crush the flakes in a bag and use either in place of breadcrumbs for coating fish or chicken.

Choose a pack labelled “gluten-free”; the Food Standards Agency says that claim means no more than 20 mg of gluten per kg of food. Use a clean bowl, tray and utensils, and don’t share a crumb-covered surface with ordinary bread.