Using Scraps

• Meatloaf can contain pork, beef or any other type of ground meat. It originated as a means of reusing scraps or leftovers from previous meals. Onions, garlic, black pepper and other spices vary the flavor of last night's dinner, while eggs and bread or breadcrumbs help the mixture stay together. The addition of bread or breadcrumbs was, like the use of ground meat, a way to make use of leftovers, including stale bread that would otherwise have to be thrown out.

Meatloaf with Flour

• Although most meatloaf recipes don't use flour, there are a few that do. In these recipes, a small amount of flour may replace the breadcrumbs in the recipe. Like the breadcrumbs in a typical meatloaf recipe, the flour combines with the egg to form a binder, preventing the ground meat from crumbling and falling apart. However, using breadcrumbs or bread appears to be more common.

Cracker Crumbs

• One alternative to using either breadcrumbs or flour is to use cracker crumbs; for instance, chef Jamie Oliver's recipe calls for crackers crushed into small pieces. As with breadcrumbs, this is another ingredient that reflects the improvised nature of traditional meatloaf; spare crackers could be crumbled to provide the needed bulk and binder. As a result, crackers are now traditional for some cooks, even if they're not reusing leftovers. Like bread or breadcrumbs, crackers will also have been made from flour.

Gluten-Free Alternatives

• For some people, whether a meatloaf uses flour or breadcrumbs doesn't make any difference: It's the gluten in both they want to avoid. Those who want to avoid gluten, whether for medical or diet reasons, need to find something else to serve as a binder. Gluten-free substitutes for flour include almond meal or coconut flour. Similarly, gluten-free alternatives to breadcrumbs and cracker crumbs are available for those who want to give their meatloaf the right consistency. Although the consistency will be similar, the taste of the final product may vary slightly from versions made with bread.