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Sacha Hirschfeld

Homemade Croutons

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! 
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Baking Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
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
 

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Spread the bread into a single layer on the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.