Homemade Croutons
Have you ever thought to make croutons from bread at home? It’s a very quick, simple and easy process to make croutons at home and one of the best ways to use leftover bread. You can make croutons from any type of bread like sandwich bread, sourdough bread, bread loaf, brown bread, white bread, etc. If possible, try to use stale bread (1-2 days old) as it’s easier to cut and takes less time to cook compared to fresh bread.
| Ingredients: |
| 6 slices of Sandwich Bread or Sourdough Bread or any Bread (white or brown bread) |
| 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil (or butter or any oil) |
| 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning, optional |
| 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon Salt (more or less to taste) |
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180 C). For croutons, 1-2 days stale bread works best but you can also use the fresh bread. Spread oil on each bread slice using a brush. (If you don’t want to spread oil on each slice, you can also toss the bread cubes with oil later in step-3.
- Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes or smaller or bigger cubes. Make sure to cut bread into equal size pieces. It’s not necessary to remove the crust but if you like, you can remove it.
- Transfer the cubes in a large bowl. Add 1 teaspoons seasoning and 1/3 teaspoon salt. (If you have not spread the oil on bread slices then you can drizzle 1-2 tablespoons oil on bread cubes).
- Toss them gently until all the bread cubes are coated evenly with seasonings.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Spread bread cubes in a single layer to bake them evenly.
- Bake for 12 to 20 minutes (time for baking depends on the thickness and type of bread) until the croutons are light golden and crispy. Toss them once (after 6-8 minutes) while baking. Keep an eye after 12 minutes to prevent them from burning (turning dark brown). Remove them from oven and let them cool down completely. Store them in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Tips and Variations:
- Any kind of bread works for this recipe. Time to bake croutons depends on the type of bread and size of bread pieces.
- For variation, add 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder instead of Italian seasoning. If you are using the salted garlic powder, reduce the quantity of salt.
Taste: Crispy
Serving Ideas: Bread Croutons taste best when served with tomato soup or lettuce salad.