Leah's Loveable Croûtons

Leah’s Lovable Croûtons

With all the homemade bread I make, I sometimes don't get around to having it all eaten - what to do? Make croûtons of course...besides making incredible breadcrumbs for your next chicken bake, why don't you have handy homemade croûtons for your fantastic salads and sensational soups too - they too deserve top billing - in this case topped with your homemade croûtons!

Quick and easy and baked in the oven vs. fried up in a pan. Keeps for three weeks in a covered container should they last that long......

• Stale bread, homemade bread, unused Italian bread - use a rustic bread of any sorts, don't have any? Use at least a multi-grained bread for added interest over plain old white bread - wonder bread will not work here kids!
• Let bread out for a few days, at least one day if using fresh bread.
• (I used my sun-dried tomato bread that was left over from last weekend that maybe some of you saw the recipe and topped my last bowl of Top Notch Tomato Soup with them today) - wow oh wow!
• Dashes and several shakes of all the following herbs:
• garlic powder, freshly ground pepper, red chili flakes, dried mustard, celery salt and a good amount of herbs de province (by this time you know it's a favorite of mine) and a little salt.
• Olive Oil
• ****Equipment Needed:
• Bowl, spoon, cookie sheet, one working oven at 350 degrees

1. Slice up your stale bread, up into crouton sized bites and place into bowl.
2. Drizzle slowly a little olive oil over bread cubes. Stir up bread cubes, till coated with the olive oil.
3. I usually drizzle, stir, then drizzle a little more and stir again, this way all cubes are lightly "basted" with the olive oil.
4. You will do the same procedure as above as you add each spice.
5. If you don't ( I have learned this from experience), one half of your bread cubes will have the seasonings, the other half not)
6. And by adding the olive oil first, your chosen herbs and spices will stick to your bread cubes.
7. Add each herb and spice, a shake here a dash there...depending upon your bread you chose for this task, select your herbs accordingly.
8. My sun-dried tomato bread had lots of garlic, so I didn't need to add much garlic powder for example.
9. Place and level coated bread cubes on cookie sheet and place in oven.
10. After five minutes, check on them, using metal spatula or spoon turn over your bread cubes, and bake for another 3-5 minutes.
11. Let cool, then store in an air-tight container with lid in the refrigerator and enjoy!

Check out this recipe and many more of my recipes by clicking below.

Leahs Loveable Croutons @ Group Recipes