Homemade Croutons

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With only two people in our home we have a hard time getting through everything. Bread is a really hard one for us to get through. We do make our own bread (check out our bread machine bread recipe) but even one small loaf is difficult for us. I will usually make it for dinner one night but we just don’t eat a ton of sandwiches. I like to say I’m carbohydrate conscious so bread for dinner every night just isn’t the norm around here. Usually, I just feed any stale bread to my chickens and, since they produce eggs, it’s not wasted food. This time I decided to try to put that stale bread to good use by turning it into homemade croutons.

Stale Bread or Fresh Bread

You can technically use whatever type of bread you want in this recipe. It can be turned into croutons fresh out of the oven if you really want to. Stale bread just seems to work a little better. It’s easier to cut up and doesn’t quite absorb so much oil. This means that the oil stays on the outside to make them a little more crispy. One of the things I want to try in the future is using sourdough bread to make these too. I’m guessing it’s pretty tasty… time will tell!

Measurements

The amount of ingredients that you will need is going to depend on how big of a batch that you are making. This is one of those recipes that you kind of just have to eye to the best of your ability. Some people don’t like that and want to measure everything out. I, on the other hand, love just winging it all together. I promise, unless you drown your croutons in oil, they should be just fine without measuring anything. Take the scary leap and trust yourself.

Ingredients

• Bread
• Olive Oil
• Seasonings of Choice

Directions

1. Cut your bread into small chunks and put them in a bowl. They don’t have to be perfect.
2. Toss them in olive oil. This is where you’re going to have to eye it up. They just need to be coated well to make sure they get crispy. 
3. Toss them in your seasonings. Go wild here! Choose whatever seasonings your heart desires. I like to do garlic and oregano or italian seasoning. I also think these would be great with some parmesan cheese thrown in too. 
4. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. We’ve pretty much all seen croutons before so you are just looking to get them browned like store bought croutons. Keep an eye on them!

In Summary: Homemade Croutons

These croutons are great for all purposes! I’ve used them in salads but I’ve also used them to top my chicken broccoli casserole. They add some extra flavor and crunch to any meal. Try them in soup instead of crackers! They will soften up in liquid just like crackers would. They have so many different uses that they are great year round.

What is your favorite way to eat homemade croutons? Give us your recipes in the comments!