Baked "Fried" Pickles

A couple of years ago, a friend introduced me to fried pickles when we went out to lunch together.  I thought they were okay, but not so much that I would want to try them.  Then when I was visiting my family last summer, my mom stopped at the local Sheetz gas station to gas up the car and get some lunch.  They had what I guess you would call it a fast food spot inside, where you could get burgers, hot dogs, salads, fries, and many more items, including fried pickles.  This time, I thought they were actually pretty good and I might like to try to make some sometime.  However, a couple of months later, while making homemade corn dogs, I burnt my fingers with the oil I was frying them in and D. said he doesn't want me to fry things.  At least for now, I'm making him happy by not frying foods for my own health.  However, if I ever find a long handled strainer, or get a deep fryer with a basket with long handles, or find some other way to ensure I won't burn myself, I might start trying to fry things again.  There are so many delicious fried foods I want to try to make, including actually frying pickles.  But in the meantime, I decided to try to make a baked version of fried pickles.  I decided to do this by breading the pickles and then baking them at a high temperature so they would hopefully still stay perfectly pickle-y on the inside, but get crispy on the outside.  And my idea actually worked.  They were delicious.  Not as amazing as pickles that have been deep-fried, but a pretty good alternative.

You can either slice whole dill pickles yourself, or you can use pre-sliced pickles.  I sliced my own, because I had an open jar of pickles in my fridge.  I ended up making 3 dozen, but still had plenty of flour, egg, and breadcrumbs left over, so I could have made more.  (I think I will do that later this week.  They were so delicious!  At least in my opinion.  D. said they were okay, but that he doesn't really like fried pickles to start with.)

Once you have your pickle slices, your next step is really easy, but really important.  Use a paper towel or napkin and blot them dry.  You want to remove some of the salty brine so your "fried" pickles aren't super salty.

Next, coat in flour.   I just dropped each slice in the flour, and flipped them to coat the other side and this step was done.

Then you need to do an egg wash.  Beat an egg in a separate bowl and dip both sides of the pickle slices in the egg to coat them completely.

Then using another bowl with seasoned breadcrumbs, coat each pickle slice again.

Lay each of your pickle slices on a greased baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes.  Then flip them over and bake for an additional 5 minutes until both sides are crispy and golden brown.

And there you have it.  Crispy.  Salty.  Delicious!  Baked "Fried" Pickles!  You can eat them with Ranch dressing, or just the way they are (how I prefer mine).

Baked "Fried" Pickles
Ingredients:
3 dozen pickle slices (about 4 whole pickles)
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Steps:
1.  Slice pickle slices if using whole pickles.
2.  Blot each pickle slice dry using a paper towel or napkin.
3.  Coat each pickle slice in flour, followed by a coat of egg, and then breadcrumbs.  Place on a greased baking sheet.
4.  Bake pickle slices at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.  Flip each slice and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
5.  Serve immediately either by themselves or with ranch dressing.