How To: Make Your Own Croutons

Every time I buy or make my own hard rolls, I always seem to have a couple left over that I don't know what to do with. They normally end up hard and stale and get thrown out for the birds, which means money wasted. I also love making salads and to me a salad insist complete without the crunch of a crouton, which normally meant paying way to much money for a small box of toasted and seasoned bread at the grocery store. To remedy both problems, I started making my own. It couldn't be easier either. Just some cut up some day old bread or rolls, add some olive oil and seasonings and you've got the perfect crouton. You can use any type of bread too, or even mix them up. I promise once you see how easy it is, you'll be making your own in no time!

What You Need:

Left over bread or hard rolls
1/4 to 1/2 c olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
Salt and Pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp orgeano

1/2 tsp thyme

What To Do:

Cut the bread into chunks, as big or as small as you like. You want 4 to 6 cups total.

Give your garlic cloves a smash, to remove the skins and then sprinkle with a little salt. Take the side of your knife to turn the garlic into a paste by pressing and dragging your knife over the garlic. The salt acts as an abrasive to break down the garlic. It takes a couple minutes so just keep at it.

In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, olive oil, and seasoning. Place your bread in a large bowl and drizzle the olive oil over the top. Toss to coat the bread evenly, using more olive oil if needed, but you don't want to drown the bread in it either.

Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the croutons are dried and a bit browned. Let them cool before storing in a covered container.