Croutons are versatile. The most obvious way we use them is to top our favorite salads. But you can top your soup with them or eat them as a snack as well. They are super easy to make and you probably already have half the ingredients in your kitchen. So let's walk through how to make yourself some delicious homemade croutons.
The bread factor when making croutons
Hi. It's me again. The bread lady. Just when I thought I was on extreme ends of the scale: high-quality bread for gourmet sandwiches and zero-quality store brand, white bread for Thai pork toast. I found there is a middle category for bread too. Those "fresh" French and Italian loaves you can find at the bakery of most local supermarkets. And yes, yes, they are technically freshly baked and even still warm if you are lucky. However, the bakery employee didn't come in at 5 a.m. to start mixing dough and adding just the right amount of yeast. They opened a case of frozen, pre-made loaves and put them in an oven. And I love them. I've almost never passed on a warm french loaf at the supermarket bakery.
That being said, it ain't no When Pigs Fly or Nashoba Brook Bakery and certainly not comparable to the fabulous Iggy's Bread of the World in Cambridge or most local bakeries that really do things from scratch. Which reminds me: Butternut Bakehouse. If you live in Massachusetts and are in and around Boston, you simply must stop by Butternut Bakehouse in Arlington, MA. Their scratch made sweet & savory pastries, breads, desserts and coffees are out of this world.
Moving on: a middle-of-the-road Italian or French loaf is perfect for croutons. In this recipe, I used the Italian loaf because I had some on hand for something else. See, I do use it for things - I'm not a monster. It was turning stale, so I decided to make delicious homemade croutons.
You need only Dried herbs, olive oil and salt for delicious homemade croutons
So, once you have the bread figured out - the rest is pretty straightforward. Dried herbs, olive oil and salt. That's it. I chose some garlic powder, salt, dried basil and dried thyme for this. Mix everything in a bowl then bake in the oven. Homemade croutons are a treat and take very little time to make! I made these croutons to top my Jonah Crab & Asparagus Salad. But you can also use them for Hearty Summer Salad and Warm Goat Cheese and Pine Nut Salad too! If I have these croutons on hand I love snacking on them too.
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How to Make Delicious Homemade Croutons
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
Description
Delicious homemade croutons are simple to make and you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry.
Ingredients
- 3 cups of bread cubes
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- I had Italian loaf on hand but you could use French bread, ciabatta rolls, or brioche. Cut bread into cubes and put in a mixing bowl.
- Drizzle olive oil all over the bread cubes.
- Add dried basil, dried thyme, garlic powder and salt.
- Mix to coat all the bread cubes.
- Cook in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
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