Pita’s delicate nature deserves a gentle touch. To make the pita crumbs, first tear one pita into haphazard 3-inch pieces. Next, tear each of these pieces into smaller, pine nut sized flakes. Now pinch a small amount of the flakes in between your fingers and rub them together to crumble. Repeat with the remaining pieces.

For the best results, the pita bread must be hand crumbled between your fingers. Photo: Kate Williams

Next, fry the pita crumbs by heating 1/4 inch of locally cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil in a small cast iron skillet. Add the crumbs and fry until they just turn golden and crisp. Drain the crumbs through a fine mesh strainer set over a small bowl. Reserve the leftover frying oil for plating.

Scatter 4 pinches of pita crumbs on a terra cotta plate. Using a baby spoon, drizzle the fry oil over the crumbs. The additional oil adds bitter depth and soft moisture to the crisp crumbs. Sprinkle approximately 1/16 teaspoon za’atar across the plate to add lively traditional zing to the plate.

Third course: Health (whole wheat bread crumbs, toasted, no oil, no salt)

For this exploration of the salubrious nature of crumbs, start with whole wheat sandwich bread (bonus points for scoring a loaf fortified with extra fiber and minerals). Remove the crusts from three slices of bread and throw these gummy strips in the garbage can. Slice the interior of each slice into 1 by 2-inch rectangles.

Toasting the whole wheat crumbs is essential to ensuring the nutritious texture of the dish. Photo: Kate Williams

Pulse the bread rectangles in a food processor until they’ve formed fine, squishy crumbs. You could serve the crumbs raw, but I prefer to toast them in a 318° oven for 15 minutes. The long, slow baking process transforms the soft crumbles into crunchy, Grape Nuts-like gravel—a perfect representation of health.

Plate the health crumbs on a textured white plate in the shape of a curved comet trail. Do not add oil, butter, salt, or pepper.

Four Crumbs, Four Textures. Photo: Kate Williams

Fourth course: Four Crumbs, Four Textures (Acme pain au levain prepared four ways, maldon, cracked black pepper)

The best way to experience a voyage of crumb textures is to experiment with size. I like to use a decent but not incredible naturally leavened loaf for this course. Acme’s pain au levain is a perfect choice. To prepare, slice off 1 1/4-inch thick piece, and then hand-separate the soft interior from the chewy crust. Next, hand-tear the soft interior into large 1-inch, crouton-like crumbs (“crouton” is really just another word for large breadcrumb), and then slice the crust into craggy 1-inch squares.

From the collection of large crumbs, select the two most perfect interior crumbs and two most perfect crust crumbs. Set one of each aside for plating, and then place the remaining two interior and crust crumbs on a toasting platter to crisp.

Be sure to give each crumb plenty of breathing room on the toasting platter. Photo: Kate Williams

Toast the crumbs in a 321° oven for 5 to 6 minutes until they’re just starting to turn golden. If they turn too dark, the crisp portions will turn carcinogenic, so they’ll need to be discarded. Finally, plate the four crumbs on an oversized slate platter in order from softest to crispest, and then scatter flakes of Maldon salt and cracked black pepper over the plate.

Investigating Breakfast for Dessert. Photo: Kate Williams

Fifth course: Investigating Breakfast for Dessert (melting vanilla ice cream, whiff of chocolate, hand-flaked morning bun crumbs)

Like pita bread, morning bun crumbs should always be hand-made. Separate the bun into four large sections, and then gently flake apart each layer using only the tips of your fingers. The crumb flakes should be thin and wispy. Discard any crumbs that do not flutter when tossed gently in the air.

A proper hand-flaked morning bun should flutter in the air. Photo: Kate Williams

Using two spoons, scoop a miniature quenelle of well-sourced vanilla ice cream onto a small grey dessert plate. Place a square of high-quality, single-origin dark chocolate next to the ice cream for 5 seconds. Remove and discard, leaving only the faintest trace of the chocolate’s oil. Pile 1 1/2 tablespoons of morning bun crumbs next to the ice cream. Let the ice cream begin to melt and pool below the crumbs before serving.

Recipe: DIY Breadcrumb Tasting Menu

Serves 1

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