Homemade Croutons
Avoid throwing away bread crusts and unused slices with this simple recipe for croutons, as well as some simple instructions for making bread crumbs.
Ingredients
- Extra/Stale Bread, Cubed
- Melted Butter or Olive Oil - enough to evenly coat the bread cubes
- Sea salt - about 1 Tbsp. per cup of bread cubes
- Powdered garlic - about 1 tsp. per cup of bread cubes
- Favorite dried herbal blend - about 2 tsp. per cup of bread cubes
Instructions
- Dice stale bread into bite size pieces - careful not to make them too big!
- Toss in a bowl with melted butter or olive oil until coated.
- Add salt and garlic to taste.
- Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake in an oven set at 375 F/191 C for about 10 minutes - check for browning. See notes for instructions on using a dehydrator.
- Once evenly toasted, remove and cool.
Notes
For longevity, store the croutons in glass with an oxygen obsorber, especially is you live in a humid climate.
Use within a month for best flavor. If you're climate is very dry, you can probably enjoy crispy croutons for about two months.
After that, the oil can start to taste a bit off and the croutons can lose their crunch.
You may also use a dehydrator to make croutons. Dehydration time varies with type of bread used, its age, crouton size, and ambient humidity.
A good place to start is 150 F/65 C for 1-3 hours.
To Make Bread Crumbs:
- Place a handful of croutons in a blender and pulse to reduce to crumbles. You will most likely have different sized crumbles.
- Sift out the smallest and pulse the largest to crumble further.
- Do NOT blend until dust-like unless that's what you want.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!