Now, I'm not a huge salad fan to be honest, BUT you put these easy homemade croutons on there? Warm, crunchy, herby and oh so satisfying. I'm in!
I always thought croutons were for caesar salad and caesar salad only. And although they are super tasty with our Zingy Caesar Dressing, we find ourselves putting them on all kinds of things!
Salads Of All Kinds
Soups (Think Warm Creamy Fall Soups)
And Pastas! (Crushed Croutons On Mac & Cheese... oh yes)
But making your own? If you have to buy the bread to make them why not just buy croutons right? Well...
The greatest thing about making your own is you can use hard, stale bread! If you have a loaf that is past it's prime, simply:
Chop It Up
Toss It With Some Oil
Throw In Some Spices
Spread On A Baking Sheet
And You're Minutes Away From Tasty Tasty Croutons!
But what if I don't already have the bread? Isn't it cheaper to buy the croutons...
Recipe Cost
This recipe makes 4 heaping cups of croutons and costs us CAD $1.52. That's approximately 168g of croutons.
That price is with us buying a baguette from the discounted "day old" section of our grocery store because YOU CAN!
But... if we buy a fresh baguette at full price this recipe costs CAD $2.21.
Here's a comparison per 100g to store-bought croutons:
CAD $0.90/100g our version with a discounted baguette.
CAD $1.32/100g our version with a full price baguette. And...
At Least CAD $1.99/100g for store-bought croutons.
That's savings of $1.09 per 100 grams and you're giving that poor baguette a fresh new beautiful life.
These easy homemade croutons are:
Crispy
Crunchy
Herby
Quick
And so much tastier than store-bought!
Storing
The only trouble with these is that they are so TASTY we often can't help ourselves from eating them straight out of the oven! Follow these steps to store them:
Place Them In An Airtight Container Or Zip Bag
For Up To 2 Weeks
At Room Temperature
On Your Counter Or In Your Pantry
And enjoy the crunchiest homemade oven baked croutons on whatever your heart desires!
So before you toss that bread you left out for a day too long... turn it into these and start crunching!
Print
Easy Homemade Croutons - Guaranteed Crunch
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 heaping cups 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Crispy, herby, easy homemade croutons ready in under 20 minutes! So much tastier and thriftier than store-bought with guaranteed crunch!
Ingredients
- 1 day old baguette*
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp oregano
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt and pepper
*Fresh ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cut your bread into cubes.
- Transfer the chopped bread to a large bowl and drizzle with the oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, quickly tossing the croutons with your hands so the oil doesn’t seep into only a few pieces.
- Sprinkle the bread with the spices and toss again.
- Transfer to a lined baking sheet and bake for 12-20 minutes. At the 10 minute mark, take a look at them and drizzle with more oil if they are looking a little dry for your liking. This will encourage them to brown more for the last few minutes in the oven. Continue to bake for 2-10 minutes more to achieve your desired crunchiness.
- Serve immediately or allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks (if you don’t eat them all right out of the oven!)
Notes
*Approximate Cost: CAD $0.90/100g vs. at least CAD $1.99/100g for store-bought croutons.
*Feel free to substitute other herbs for the oregano or combine a few of your favourites.
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