Frequently asked questionsFAQs

Both Semmelbrösel and Paniermehl are traditional German varieties of breadcrumbs made from specially baked, fresh white bread. The main difference lies in the type of flour used during production. For Semmelbrösel, wheat flour type 550 is used, while Paniermehl is made with wheat flour type 1050.

The flour type refers to its mineral content. Type 550 flour, used for Semmelbrösel, contains 550 milligrams of minerals per 100 grams of flour. Type 1050 flour, used for Paniermehl, contains nearly twice as much and has a noticeably darker color due to its higher mineral content.

Both products are ideal for cooking and baking and can be used in a variety of recipes. You can find inspiration for dishes using Semmelbrösel and Paniermehl here.

LEIMER breadcrumbs are suitable for preparing various sweet and savory dishes. In addition to the classic breading of meat, fish or vegetables in a three-plate system, they can also be used as a topping for stuffed tomatoes or similar dishes. In vegan, vegetarian or meat mixtures, breadcrumbs ensure optimum binding of the mixture so that it does not fall apart during frying. They also loosen them up and absorb excess moisture.

But LEIMER breadcrumbs are not only suitable for savory dishes, they also bind liquid in sweet dishes such as cakes, tarts or desserts and ensure a stable yet airy dough. You can find recipe inspiration with our breadcrumbs and breadcrumbs on our recipe page.

As most of our products are made from dried bread, they generally have a long shelf life of 360 to 450 days after production, depending on the product. To keep them fresh for as long as possible, we recommend storing them in a dark, cool place (<25°C) in a sealed container.

The best-before date (BBD) on food is not an expiry date, but an indication of how long the product will at least retain its original properties and quality under the recommended storage conditions.

LEIMER crumbs can usually be kept for some time after the best-before date has expired. However, look out for the following signs before use:

• Smell: The product should smell slightly of bread, but not musty, rancid or moldy.
• Appearance: There should be no discoloration, lumps or mold.
• Consistency: It should be dry and free-flowing.

If these characteristics are met, the breadcrumbs can usually still be eaten. However, if you are not sure, dispose of the product as a precaution.

The quality of our products is our top priority. That is why we have developed a special quality management system with an integrated HACCP concept. This is a concept for ensuring food safety and serves to identify, evaluate and control potential hazards. This concept regularly receives the IFS certificate at a higher level.

Our products are also awarded various other certificates. They are also made from freshly baked white bread using state-of-the-art production and packaging technology. You can find more information about our quality assurance here.

Panko breadcrumbs are a light and particularly crispy breadcrumbs that originated in Japanese cuisine.

How did panko come about?

Legend has it that Japanese soldiers made panko for the first time during the Second World War. They had nothing to eat during the war and no ovens to bake bread. Out of necessity, they collected grain from the surrounding fields and ground their own flour. They made a simple dough from the flour and water and filled it into their metal dishes. For baking, they experimented with electricity, which they obtained from car batteries. They connected this to the metal dishes and heated the dough in the process. In this way, they were able to “bake” their own bread without help. This was particularly airy, soft and without a hard crust - perfect for drying later and processing into flaky crumbs. After the war, this method was adopted industrially and panko breadcrumbs, as we know them today, were created: particularly airy, light and crispy.

Today, the bread for Panko breadcrumbs is no longer baked in the traditional way in the oven, but is heated using electricity. The dough is placed in electrically conductive molds so that the current is conducted through the molds and therefore also through the dough. This (ohmic) resistance creates high temperatures that cook the dough from the inside out. This is why this baking method is also known as “ohmic baking”. This technique produces a very light, soft bread without a crust, which creates the typical airy, crispy flakes that characterize Panko.

What makes Panko so special?

Panko breadcrumbs are lighter and crispier than classic Western breadcrumbs. It also absorbs less fat, making fried food particularly crispy and less greasy at the same time. This makes it particularly suitable for Asian-inspired prawns, fish and poultry, but it is also popular in modern fusion cuisine.

Mutschelmehl is a light, crustless and particularly finely ground breadcrumb flour that is used as a specialty in parts of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. There, it is used to bake the traditional “Mutschel”, a star-shaped pastry made from light-colored, slightly sweetened yeast dough. It is a Swabian pastry which, as a so-called “Gebildebrot”, often has elaborate shapes. Also known as “Mitschele” or “Mütschele”, the pastry can be traced back to the late Middle Ages, making it a true antique among baked goods. As the Mutschel is made from white flour, which used to be valuable, it was a real festive pastry for a long time. Today, you can find them all year round at traditional Swabian bakeries.

The special thing about the Mutschel is its fluffy yeast dough, which is formed into a characteristic shape and often artistically decorated. The star-shaped Mutschel is best known from the region around Reutlingen in Southwestern Germany, where the pastry is still closely associated with fun and games: on Mutschel Day, the Thursday after Epiphany, people play “gemutschelt”. The winner of this dice game receives a magnificently decorated Mutschel as a prize. And this is just one of many customs that have developed around the Mutschel over the centuries.

LEIMER Mutschelmehl

What makes LEIMER Mutschelmehl so special? When developing Mutschelmehl, we closely followed the traditional Swabian pastry. As is customary at LEIMER, we always bake the bread for our Mutschelmehl fresh. Our "Mutschelbrot" is a light-colored, crust-free and particularly fine-pored white bread that is ground into fine Mutschelmehl. LEIMER Mutschelmehl can be used in many different ways: In addition to classic breading for meat, fish and vegetables, it is wonderful as a base for homemade soup garnishes, for loosening up cake batters of all kinds or for binding liquids in savory and sweet dishes. There are no limits to your creativity.

LEIMER Tempura batter, known as tempura in Asian cuisine, is a batter that is specially used for frying food in hot fat. This gives the coated ingredients a golden-brown, crispy crust, while they remain juicy and tender on the inside. LEIMER batter consists only of wheat flour, rice flour, wheat starch, salt and raising agents. It is suitable for meat and fish, but also ideal for vegetables and fruit.

Using the batter is simple and straightforward:

• Mix 200 g LEIMER baking batter with 250 ml water without lumps using a whisk and leave to stand for 5 mins.
• Stir the batter again, pull the breadcrumbs through the batter and allow to drain briefly.
• Then fry immediately in a deep frying pan or deep fryer in 175°C oil until golden brown. For a sweet version, use 300 ml milk instead of water. 

You can find recipe inspiration with LEIMER batter here.

LEIMER breadcrumb mix and fisch coating mix are ready-to-use breading mixes for meat and fish. They already contain all the necessary ingredients for breading, such as egg, flour and spices. They replace the classic “three-dish system” and save work and time in the kitchen.

They are easy and uncomplicated to use:

• Moisten meat or fish well with water to bind. Tip: If you want a thicker breading, we recommend using beaten egg instead of water.
• Turn in the breadcrumb mixture, press well on both sides and leave to set.
• Fry over a medium heat in plenty of fat or oil on both sides.

All LEIMER breadcrumbs are made from freshly baked bread. The three basic ingredients - flour, yeast and salt - are kneaded into a dough and divided into equal-sized dough pieces before they are baked in the oven to make bread. After cooling and drying, the loaves are crushed and sieved until the desired grain size is achieved. Finally, the crumbs are packaged and delivered.

Most of our products are vegetarian, many are even vegan.

You can find an overview of our vegan range here.

You can easily find allergen information for each product on our website. Simply select the desired product from our product overview to access detailed information about allergens, ingredients, and nutritional values.

For some of our products, such as LEIMER soup pearls, we use palm fat in the manufacturing process, which is derived from palm oil or the oil palm. Palm fat/oil has a neutral smell and taste and provides a very pleasant mouthfeel. This is due to the natural melting behavior of the fat/oil, which contributes to the appealing taste and familiar texture of many everyday products. In addition, it is characterized by a low content of trans fatty acids, is oxidation-stable, and free from allergens and potential genetic modifications.

However, these beneficial properties have led to high global demand for palm fat/oil, and some producers in Asia are destroying tropical rainforests to extract it. We view this development with great concern and have therefore been a member of the RSPO – Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil for many years. This initiative, founded by the environmental organization WWF, has established requirements for environmentally friendly and sustainable palm oil production and monitors compliance among its now more than 5,000 members. This ensures that our customers can trust that only sustainable RSPO-certified palm fat of the "Segregated" quality level is used in our products. Palm oil of this grade is not mixed with uncertified palm oil and is fully traceable back to the plantation. By using “Segregated” palm oil, companies also support efforts to reduce the environmental and social impacts of palm oil production.

In addition to the sustainability aspect, palm fat/oil has come under public scrutiny due to the presence of so-called 3-MCPD (3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol) and its potentially harmful health effects. According to a study by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), this substance can be formed during the refining of various vegetable oils – including olive, sunflower, rapeseed, and palm oil – when exposed to high temperatures. The 3-MCPD content should be kept as low as possible, which is why we have worked closely with our palm fat suppliers to develop specific solutions. Through adjustments in the production process, the level has been reduced to a minimum, so that all LEIMER products can be classified as safe for consumption.

Naturally, the palm fat we use also complies with current legal requirements. As part of our risk-based monitoring program, we regularly verify compliance with these limits through extensive analyses conducted by external, accredited laboratories. The results show that we remain well below the legal thresholds. Therefore, we can assure you that, under normal consumption habits and as part of a varied diet, the palm fat we use – as well as our products – poses no health risk.

Nonetheless, we continue to search for alternative plant-based fats or oils that meet our quality standards. We are fully aware of the ongoing debate around palm fat/oil and carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each option to provide our customers with reliable products in the high quality they expect from us.

With over 100 years of tradition, a forward-thinking and sustainable approach to managing our planet’s resources is especially important to us.

For LEIMER’s gluten-free Paniermehl, freshly baked white breads are used, whose main ingredient is gluten-free wheat starch (so-called “prima wheat starch”). These breads are dried, ground, and sieved immediately after baking. Milk powder is added to give the coating a nice color and better taste. In addition, the milk powder makes the breadcrumb coating softer, as it would otherwise be too hard to bite.

The lactose content in the gluten-free Paniermehl is less than 0.1%, meeting the threshold for “lactose-free” labeling. To avoid confusion, we deliberately do not label the product as lactose-free, but it is safe for people with lactose intolerance to consume.

Yes, our gluten-free products are suitable for individuals with celiac disease. They are officially certified and bear the Crossed Grain symbol (the crossed-out ear of wheat), indicating a safe choice for those affected by celiac disease. Production takes place under strictly controlled conditions to prevent contamination with gluten. Our products comply with the legal requirements for gluten-free foods (containing less than 20 ppm gluten).

Many of our products are available throughout Germany in full-range supermarkets. You can find a detailed overview of all retailers in our retailer overview.

However, please note that some products may only be available in selected stores, as we have limited influence over which individual markets carry our range.

If you are looking for a specific product or prefer convenient shopping, you can order our entire assortment on Amazon and have it delivered directly to your home.
You can find our shop here.

LEIMER products are not only available in Germany. We export our breadcrumbs, croutons and soup garnishes to over 40 countries in Europe and beyond. Which LEIMER product is available in which country depends on the supermarket and various other factors that we cannot always influence.

If you are missing a LEIMER product in a certain country or market, please contact your local supermarket or order our entire range directly to your home via Amazon. Click here to go to our Amazon shop.

Unfortunately, due to organizational and logistical reasons, we are unable to offer a factory outlet for our products. However, many of our products are available nationwide in common supermarkets across Germany or can be conveniently ordered directly through our Amazon shop.

We highly value charitable work and commitment to nonprofit causes. For this reason, we exclusively support charitable organizations and projects from our region with in-kind donations. Our focus is on promoting local initiatives that have a positive impact on the community.

At LEIMER, we don't waste any raw materials, but turn every single baked loaf into one of our products. Bread that is processed into croutons or crumbs therefore stands for the responsible use of raw materials. What's more, we produce everything at one location, which means short distances and clear responsibility. The big challenge remains the energy supply - here we are thinking intensively about alternatives, but unfortunately there are no easy solutions.

We use plastic film for some of our products, such as soup inserts, bread cubes or croutons. These provide an effective seal against moisture, oxygen and other external influences and guarantee that our products remain fresh and edible for a long time. Other materials, such as paper, cannot guarantee this. Plastic packaging is also lighter and takes up less space than other alternatives. However, all the plastic packaging we use is made of PE and can be recycled by type.

LEIMER was founded in 1919 by the brothers Josef and Carl Leimer. They set up a large bakery in Traunstein, Bavaria, and supplied retailers throughout Chiemgau with baked goods. It was they who came up with the idea of making breadcrumbs from fresh, specially baked bread rather than from leftover stale bread. Under the management of Karl Leimer, the company developed into a leading brand manufacturer from 1948 onwards. In 1963, LEIMER launched Panat, one of the very first convenience products on the market. In the years that followed, the range was constantly expanded, for example with soup garnishes and croutons. Since 2005, selected LEIMER products have also been available in organic quality and, since 2014, LEIMER has also been selling gluten-free breadcrumbs. Two years later, Karlheinz Leimer took over the management of the company in the third generation. You can find out more about our company in our history.

If you have any further questions or comments about LEIMER or our products, or if you are not satisfied with one of the products, you can contact us using our contact form.