I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I usually buy croutons. I, queen of make it yourself, buy croutons at the grocery store. I’ll hold my head in shame and go sit on the stairs for a while to contemplate the error of my ways.
Or I could just rectify this issue by making my own croutons. We aren’t big crouton people at my house. If I buy a bag, it lasts for months. In fact, they usually go stale before they’re eaten. So, recently when I was planning to serve a caesar salad as part of our tapas menu, I decided I should just make my own. Guess what I discovered? They were delicious!
If you’re a regular eater of croutons, I can understand why adding this cooking item may feel like a chore. I do understand that. All I’d suggest is that if there’s a special occasion in the near future that will include salad, make these homemade croutons. Maybe think of them as fancy pants croutons. Because they kind of are.
What I found amazing about the homemade croutons was their richness. Being freshly made I could get all of the flavors of the olive oil, parmesan, and garlic. They really were quite delicious and worthy of the time for a special meal. The enjoyment of eating them will more than compensate for the time spent making them!
- 2 cups cubed bread*
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder**
- Salt & pepper
- Parmesan cheese
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Place cubed bread in a large bowl.
- Drizzle with olive oil; toss.
- Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper; toss.
- Spread bread cubes on baking sheet.
- Grate parmesan cheese liberally over croutons.
- Bake for 5 minutes, toss.
- Bake for 5 more minutes, toss.
- Bake for 5 additional minutes or until golden and crunchy.
- *Some sort of baguette or boule is preferred.
- **If you prefer more garlic flavor, go with 1/2 teaspoon.
- Depending on your oven, the croutons will be ready between 10 and 15 minutes.
