Breadcrumbs come in two varieties -- dry and soft. Dry breadcrumbs come from oven-dried bread that is then processed into tiny crumbs. Soft breadcrumbs come from fresh bread that is processed into tiny crumbs. Although the two varieties look similar, dry breadcrumbs create a crisp coating on fried foods and soft breadcrumbs create a soft coating on fried foods or can be used for stuffing. Proceed cautiously if you must substitute dry breadcrumbs for soft ones. The conversion is not straight because dry breadcrumbs are not as fluffy as soft breadcrumbs.
Before you make the swap, give your recipe a close read to determine what quantity of soft breadcrumbs the recipe requires.
Calculate how many cups of dry breadcrumbs you need by using this conversion: 1 cup of soft breadcrumbs is the equivalent of three slices of bread, and 3/4 cup of dry breadcrumbs is also equivalent to three slices of bread. If your recipe calls for 2 cups of soft breadcrumbs, substitute 1.5 cups of dry breadcrumbs. Add the dry breadcrumbs to the recipe at the point when you would add the soft breadcrumbs.
Mix the ingredients carefully, continuing to add the other ingredients required in the recipe.
Assess the mixture after you finish adding the ingredients. Check the moistness of the ingredients. You may notice that the ingredients seem drier than they would have if you had used soft breadcrumbs.
Add additional moisture to the recipe, if necessary. You can add milk, water or an extra egg to bring the ingredients to the desired level of moistness.