Just a quick little "make your own" recipe for you this week. Lately, we have been making Oatmeal Wheat Bread once a week. Often there is a piece or two left of a loaf and I just keep throwing them in the freezer. When I have several pieces, I make croutons. The kids and I enjoy them for a snack option or on salads or soups. I confess mine rarely make it past the pan they were cooked on! I tend to just shake things on these--whatever jumps out at me from my spice rack--but for those of you who cringe when a recipe says "to taste" or "til it looks right," I tried to write down some measurements. But, like you'll notice on an grocery store shelf in the States, croutons can come in any shape and flavor, so have fun experimenting or adjusting to your family's tastes. These work great to use up any type of slightly stale bread!
Garlic Herb Croutons
4-5 cups cubed bread
1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder (you can use onion salt and garlic salt and omit regular salt)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp basil (or oregano--I'm a basil girl personally)
1 tsp parsley
Preheat oven to 300-325F. Melt together butter and olive oil. In a small bowl, mix spices. Place bread cubes in a mixing bowl. Pour melted butter/oil mixture over bread cubes as evenly as possible. Sprinkle over spices and distribute well. Spread flat on baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, stirring every 5 minutes or so--about 15-20 minutes total.
4-5 cups cubed bread
1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder (you can use onion salt and garlic salt and omit regular salt)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp basil (or oregano--I'm a basil girl personally)
1 tsp parsley
Preheat oven to 300-325F. Melt together butter and olive oil. In a small bowl, mix spices. Place bread cubes in a mixing bowl. Pour melted butter/oil mixture over bread cubes as evenly as possible. Sprinkle over spices and distribute well. Spread flat on baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, stirring every 5 minutes or so--about 15-20 minutes total.
I make croûtons with leftover bread too. (When your bread is homemade, it's painful to throw it away!) I usually make mine on stove top. That way I don't have to heat up the kitchen. Or maybe the oven is already full of something else.
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Perfect, Jimmie! I knew you could do it on the stove, but I haven't done it that way before, so thanks for sharing! I love that its a good way to use fresh garlic!! That is a staple at my house!!
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