RECIPE: Quick and Easy Croutons from Old Bread

Every week, I buy one loaf of bread from the farm store, but we are only 2 people and we usually don't finish it.  Sometimes it develops a bit of mold before it's done, or I buy a fresh loaf, and it gets tossed, which is stressful for me - I hate waste!  

A few days ago, when I was cooking some baked chicken tenders, there was extra fat in the pan so I cut a few slices of old bread into cubes and mixed them with the fat.  They cooked for 7 minutes with the chicken and they were delicious on the salad I served with it.  

I tested the recipe a few more times to insure it wasn't a fluke!

Quick and Easy Croutons from Old Bread

 

This is an un-recipe - make as much as you have old bread!  Our bread comes in a plastic bag to protect it from flies.  If we store it without the plastic, it stays crisp for about a day but then dries out quickly.  If we store it with the plastic bag closed, it goes moldy fast.  We now store it in the bag but with the end open and it will last 5 days, but it's quite dry by then!  At this point, it's perfect for croutons.

INGREDIENTS:

• Old bread, dry but not so dry it can't be cut into cubes
• Avocado oil
• Optional Seasoning:
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic and dill 
• Paprika
• Sumac  
• Berbere or harissa
• Italian 
• parmesan
  

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350F. 

I use our toaster oven, and I bake the cubes in one of the trays that came with it. Use a tray/dish big enough to hold all your cubes in 1-2 layers.  they will cook faster in one layer, but 2 layers is doable.

Slice the bread, and then cut it into cubes.  I aim for 5/8" cubes.  Put them in the baking tray/dish as you cut them.

Drizzle the cubes with avocado oil and toss to coat.  They should be LIGHTLY coated, not swimming.

Lightly salt the cubes and then season them with whatever flavor will work best with the salads you serve:

• Garlic and dill is delicious with ranch dressing, 
• Harissa, sumac or berbere is great with Honey-Mustard Dressing 
• Italian seasoning would be good with balsamic dressing, or any other Italian oil and vinegar
• Garlic alone or paprika alone would go with most salads as would plain salt and pepper!  
• You could also leave the cubes unseasoned, but that would be boring!   

Toss again to distribute the seasoning.

Bake for 7-14 minutes until evenly toasted on all sides.  Stir halfway through to insure even cooking.  You will need to learn the timing that works best with your oven.  In our toaster oven, I bake for 7 minutes, stir, and then bake another 7 minutes.  If the cubes are still white-ish on one side they will be chewy and we prefer our croutons crispy. 

Remove from the oven and store in an airtight glass jar to retain crispness. 

These are good on salad, of course, but they're also good on creamy soups!

P.S.  I JUST discovered that these make a great snack when you wnat something savory but don't want to cook...grab a few croutons!