I eat a lot of salad. Whether as a side or an entrée, to me, there are few things more satisfying than a well prepared salad. And that means, croutons! Croutons are a must for all of my salads. I love them. Crunchy, seasoned, chunks of bread. It doesn’t get much better than that – especially when they’re homemade. Take some leftover bread, season and toast it up and you have croutons. You can switch up the seasonings any which way you like. Store them in a sealed container and they’ll last a week or so. They’re worth the extra effort and they add a special touch to salads that bagged croutons can’t.
Start with some good quality, day old bread. I used Ciabatta this time.
After tossing with melted butter and spices, sauté with some extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan until golden brown and crispy.
Fresh, Homemade Croutons.
Doesn’t get much better than this…crunchy, garlicky, well-seasoned morsels of awesomeness.
Homemade Croutons
Ingredients:
- 2 cups, day old bread, cubed (French, Ciabatta, or other quality, rustic loaves work best)
- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. dried parsley
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
- Place bread in a medium size bowl.
- In a microwave safe bowl, add butter and remaining ingredients, except olive oil. Heat in microwave until butter is melted. Stir and then pour over bread.
- Toss bread (or mix using your hands) until all the cubes are evenly coated.
- Place olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add bread to pan and toast until golden brown and crispy, tossing often, about 5 – 7 minutes.
Tagged: bread, croutons, extra virgin olive oil, salads, toasted bread
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