I hate throwing away good bread and because Marc love French toast with an intensity rarely seen, we don’t really have a lot of extra bread lying around our house getting stale. But there are other things to do with good bread, aside from making French Toast (shhh… don’t tell Marc, he’ll be heartbroken) and one of these such things, is making homemade croutons. And if you’re like me and you attempt to make salad season a year round thing, sometimes you need a little help, with come fun toppings, like cocktail nuts and homemade croutons. I love to have homemade croutons on hand, especially in the summer. I absolutely love Panzanella. And I guess you really do need them around in the Winter, for Homemade French Onion Soup. But after this week, you’re going to want them around for another reason altogether. I’m going to share with you another classic salad that absolutely requires croutons. This Friday, a Classic Caesar Salad. And if you’re going to the trouble of making homemade dressing and creating the perfect Classic Caesar, you really shouldn’t skimp on the croutons. Pull out all the stops and make some homemade croutons. They keep for a surprisingly long time. And sometimes I just retoast them in the oven if they aren’t up to my crispness standards. Once you make these homemade croutons, you’re going to be inspired to keep them on hand all year long.
Croutons
Ingredients
- 1 loaf good bread stale works
- ½ cup olive oil
- 12 cloves garlic; smashed
- 1 + tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pour oil in a large deep sauté pan. Add garlic and cook on medium low until garlic is golden.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 F.
- Cut bread into small cubes.
- Turn off heat on oil.
- Remove garlic.
- Add salt and parsley to oil. Toss bread cubes in the garlic oil.
- Place on sheet pan.
- Bake, stirring every 10 minutes until croutons are golden and crunchy (20-40 depending on size and density).
Pingback: French Onion Soup | Dirty Laundry Kitchen
Pingback: Classic Caesar Salad | Dirty Laundry Kitchen