What to do with leftover bread or crust ends? Croutons, of course! Great on any salad, but particularly necessary on a Caesar salad. These are amazing and far better than any store bought crouton.
Preheat the oven to 300′. Cut the bread into 1/2″ pieces. You’ll want about 4 cups of cubed bread.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small dish, this should take about 30 seconds in the microwave.
Now, the star of the show….fresh garlic. Crush 1-2 large cloves right into the melted butter/olive oil mixture.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter mixture with the cubed bread. Toss to evenly coat. Add a pinch of salt if you’ve used unsalted butter.
Spread the perfectly seasoned bread cubes over a cookie sheet and into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then give them a turn. Bake another 15 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven right onto a cooling rack. Allow them to remain on the sheet until completely cooled. This will assure that they will be completely dried out. Store in a zip bag. Makes eight 1/4 cup servings.
Homemade Garlicky Croutons
4 cups cubed stale bread, cut into 1/2″ cubes
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 large cloves fresh garlic, crushed
1 pinch of salt
1) Preheat the oven to 300′.
2) Cube bread and place in a large mixing bowl. Melt the butter and olive oil together in a small microwavable dish. Add the crushed garlic. Pour over prepared bread and mix to evenly coat. Add salt if you’ve used unsalted butter.
3) Spread the bread over a large cookie sheet being sure not to crowd. Bake for 15 minutes. Give the croutons a turn and bake another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven onto a cooling rack. Allow to completely cool on the cookie sheet. Store in a zip lock bag. Makes 16 two tablespoon servings.