How to Make Croutons

Name: How to Make Croutons
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 3 c.
Ingredients: 3 c. day-old sourdough bread; 1/4 c. olive oil; 3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese; 1/4 tsp. garlic powder; 1/4 tsp. salt; Black pepper, to taste; 4 tbsp. salted butter (if using unsalted, sprinkle bread cubes with a pinch of salt); 3 c. torn sourdough bread; 1/4 tsp. dried thyme, or your Favorite Herb

They’re so good, you'll want to make salad just for an excuse to eat them!

By Joanne OzugPublished: Sep 14, 2015

2 Ratings

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Joanne Ozug | Fifteen Spatulas

Homemade croutons are so easy to make, whether you prefer using the oven or a skillet on the stovetop. They just might be the most delicious thing on your salad.

From Joanne Ozug of Fifteen Spatulas.

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Yields:: 3 c.
Prep Time:: 5 mins
Cook Time:: 10 mins
Total Time:: 15 mins

Ingredients

For the Oven Method:

3 c.
day-old sourdough bread
1/4 c.
olive oil
3 tbsp.
grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp.
garlic powder
1/4 tsp.
salt
Black pepper, to taste

For the Skillet Method:

4 tbsp.
salted butter (if using unsalted, sprinkle bread cubes with a pinch of salt)
3 c.
torn sourdough bread
1/4 tsp.
dried thyme, or your Favorite Herb

Directions

For oven method croutons:
Preheat the oven to 375º F.

In a large bowl, combine the bread, olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss well to distribute the ingredients.

Spread the bread cubes out on a sheet pan, giving them plenty of space in between. Bake the bread cubes for about 10 minutes, or until slightly golden brown and crisp. Keep in mind that the staler and older the bread, the quicker it will brown, so color is a good indication of when it’s done.

Remove the croutons from the oven, and enjoy!

For skillet method croutons:
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the torn bread pieces to the pan, and sprinkle with the dried thyme. Let the bread cubes sit in the pan for a few minutes until golden brown on at least one side, then you can give it a stir. Keep cooking for a total of about 10 minutes, until the croutons are golden and crisp. Enjoy!

Storage: Croutons will keep in an airtight container for a couple days at room temperature. Make sure the croutons are completely cool before storing.

Note: Recommended bread for croutons are any of the crusty loaf varieties, like sourdough, ciabatta, boule, etc.

The first time my husband had one of my homemade croutons he said, “WOW. Now that is a crouton worth eating. It’s like a soft biscuit of crunchiness instead of a hard rock.”

It’s staggering how much better homemade croutons are than storebought. Storebought croutons are hard and dry, and they don’t have the fresh taste that a homemade crouton has.

When you bite down on a homemade crouton, it shatters and crunches so willingly to your teeth. They’re so good you will want to make salad just for an excuse to eat them!

Homemade croutons are very easy to make, and I’m going to show you how to make them via two different methods.

To start, you have a couple of texture options for your croutons.

You can either cut the bread into cubes.

Or you can tear the bread into craggy pieces.

The cubes have a more robust crunch, whereas the craggy torn bread is more delicate. The torn bread is my favorite for eating, but I think the cubes are prettier. Can you tell I’m trying not to pick sides?

To make croutons via the oven method, preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Place the bread cubes in a bowl and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Then sprinkle on some garlic powder.

And freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

To finish it off, drizzle on some olive oil.

Toss everything together until the bread cubes are well coated. (This is the point where you may decide to sneak a piece of bread, because it’s coated in yummy goodness).

Spread the croutons out on a sheet pan, giving the croutons lots of room so they can brown.

Joanne Ozug | Fifteen Spatulas

Bake for about 10 minutes, then they will be golden, crispy, and delicious.

To make the croutons via the skillet method, melt four tablespoons of butter in a skillet.

Add the torn bread cubes to the butter, and let the croutons sit for a few minutes so they can get golden brown on the bottom.

If desired, add dried thyme or other seasonings to the croutons.

Keep cooking for a total of about 10 minutes, until the croutons are crisp and slightly golden.

The croutons are now ready for salad or for munching.

However you make your croutons, cubed or torn, in the oven or in the skillet, they are always delicious! Feel free to experiment with different seasonings, or make them plain if that’s what you fancy. The options are endless.