Homemade Croutons

How to Make Homemade Croutons

As dinner prep was wrapping up last night I decided to throw together a small salad; and then I sadly realized we had no croutons.  Croutons aren't a must have around here but we sure do like what they add to our salads! I didn't take the time to make croutons right then and there, but it did give me a simple post for today.

I have made croutons before, so with a quick skim through some Internet searches to refresh my memory, I quickly whipped up a batch.

Parmesan Garlic Croutons

10 slices of bread (I used some leftover bread I made using the bread machine, double points for this!)
4 tablespoons of butter (oil would work also)

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of parsley

2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Cut bread into cubes.  Melt butter and stir in garlic.  Drizzle melted garlic butter over the cubed bread and toss until coated. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over coated bread. Spread out in a single layer on a jelly roll pan (or cookie sheet). Bake for 20-30 minutes depending on your desired crunch factor. Makes about 5-6 cups.

This is another one of those items you can make your own very easily!  Sea Salt & Crushed Black Pepper. Garlic & Onion.  Almost any flavor combo you can think of would work and you can add as much or as little of the herbs and spices.  As for storing, I decided that I would store these in an air-tight container in the freezer to make them last longer. 

Today's Question: Do you use the heel of your bread loaves or throw them away?