Croutons can be enjoyed as a snack, in salads, or as a soup topper. You can also make your own breadcrumbs in a pinch by tossing croutons in the food processor. Homemade breadcrumbs will instantly elevate your meatballs or pastas; the flavor and crunch are simply unmatchable!

Bread cubes in a large measuring bowl — Never toss bread or baguette in the trash ever again!

A baking sheet of homemade croutons — Never toss bread or baguette in the trash ever again!

A cookie jar of croutons — Mark my words, a crouton jar is the new cookie jar.

Close-up of a baking sheet of croutons — Mark my words, a crouton jar is the new cookie jar.

A handful of croutons — Homemade croutons make the best breadcrumbs. Just toss in a food processor and voila!

Sacha Hirschfeld

Homemade Croutons

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Prep Time 10

Baking Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings: 8

Course: Staples

Cuisine: American

Calories: 139

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

8 cups diced bread bread of choice, cut into 1-1 ½ inch cubes; ideally bread would be 1 or 2 days old
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil basil, lemon, garlic, rosemary, chili, habanero; whatever kind you want
2 tsp seasoning of choice here's your license to experiment; this batch used Stonehouse Olive Oil Napa Valley Blend
½ tsp sea salt

Equipment

1 large bowl
1 large baking sheet
1 wooden spoon

Method

Preheat the oven to 375°F and set a rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up; set aside.
Add the bread to a bowl large enough to toss with extra-virgin olive oil and seasonings. Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil overtop of the bread, followed by the seasoning blend of your choice, and sea salt; toss gently until well-combined.
Spread the bread into a single layer on the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Flip the breadcrumbs at the 10 minute mark. Keep in mind cook-times will vary depending on the size of the cubes, keep this in mind to avoid burning.
Remove from the oven and allow croutons to cool completely. Enjoy right away, or store in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

You can make croutons with any amount of bread, just be sure to adjust the amount of other ingredients accordingly. This is a great way to reduce waste and use up the ends of baguettes etc.