Julia Altshuler wrote:

> Two problems: First, we're not sure if our customers are in the market
> for gourmet bread crumbs, but even beyond that, we're thinking the bread
> crumbs would go bad. At home, I keep them in my freezer. If I don't,
> they go moldy like any bread.

That's fresh bread crumbs; If you dry or toast them, they won't.

But make a product with high perceived value. I'm assuming that we're
talking about a crusted bread, like French baguettes or Italian bastoni.

If so, slice that bread into 1/4" slices and lay them out in a baking
sheet in a single layer. Spray them with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle
dried herbs on them. Toast them in a low oven (275-300) to dry the bread
and given them a slight brown color. Voila, breads for bruschetta,
crostini, soup croutons, dips, cheeses...

They present a much higher value than crumbs. Call them something unique
and bag them in paper. Give away samples and I bet you sell them pretty
well.

Make the crumbs with several kinds of breads so they don't directly
compete with the crumbs in stores.

Pastorio

> At which point my boss asked about the
> bread crumbs you buy in the store. What keeps them from getting moldy?
> Good question, so I thought I'd ask all of you. Is it a matter of a
> preservative that we could put in them? Or could we dry them enough in
> the oven and sell them in a sealed container such that the mold wouldn't
> be interested?