Yes the most efficient way is to edit the skin ascx source files.
They can be found in the folder \Portals\_default\Skins\MinimalExtropy\ as a rule unless they have been altered in any way.
Assuming you are using the default layout the file you want to edit will be index.aspx.
To get rid of the SEARCH box you will need to remove the block of code that looks something like this:
<div class="search_style">
<div class="search_bg">
<dnn:SEARCH runat="server" id="dnnSEARCH" CssClass="ServerSkinWidget" UseDropDownList="true" Submit="<img src="images/search.gif" border="0" alt="Search" />" />
</div>
</div>
to get ride of the breadcrumb you will need to remove the block of code that looks something like this:
<div id="bread_style">
<dnn:TEXT runat="server" id="dnnTEXT" CssClass="breadcrumb_text" Text="You are here >" ResourceKey="Breadcrumb"/>
<span><dnn:BREADCRUMB runat="server" id="dnnBREADCRUMB" CssClass="Breadcrumb" RootLevel="0" Separator=" > " /></span>
</div>
MAKE SURE YOU BACKUP YOUR SKIN BEFORE YOU START MAKING ANY CHANGES.
And you may also need to edit the other .ascx files in the same folder if you use the full or 1280 or 1024 variants of the skin.
Westa