What Is Panko Flour?

Panko flour is often used in seafood dishes like crab cakes.

Panko is Japanese for bread crumbs or bread flour and is a lighter, crispier version of traditional North American bread crumbs. The panko flour can be used anywhere regular bread crumbs would be used, particularly for breading meats and fish.

Definition

The panko flour is made from wheat bread, and is available in tan (which is made from the entire loaf of bread) and white (which is made without the bread crusts). Panko flour is much coarser than traditional bread crumbs, and resembles small flakes. The flake shape increases the surface area, keeping panko-based toppings and coatings light and crispy.

Common Uses

Since the panko flour stays crispy and crunchy after cooking, healthier food preparation methods, such as baking and pan-frying, can produce similar results to deep-frying. Panko flour is often used to coat various types of meat and poultry, and works particularly well as a coating for seafood. It can also be used as a filler in crab or fish cakes, as a casserole topping or in any recipe that calls for traditional bread crumbs.

Where to Purchase

Asian and other specialty stores carry panko flour, but it can also be found at certain supermarkets, particularly those in larger cities or urban areas.

References

• The Perfect Pantry: Panko
• Cook's Thesaurus: Crumbs