HOMEMADE CROUTONS

Who wouldn’t like a salad topped with croutons or a soup accompanied with perfectly seasoned croutons? I don’t think there is such person 🙂 Even though we don’t eat much bread at our house, but croutons are always welcomed. The store-bought croutons are fairly cheap, but I stopped buying them a while ago, once I’ve learnt that the list of ingredients on those fall short of being good for us or healthy, and I’m committed to avoid processed food and unhealthy ingredients whenever possible.  These homemade croutons are so easy to make, and once you do, you’ll never settle for store-bought ones. Because when you use higher quality ingredients in your recipe, you’ll notice that the flavors always come through in your finished dish.

Ingredients:

1 loaf of bread
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
rosemary (optional), finely chopped
Italian seasoning (optional)

It is better to use a day-old bread rather than fresh, its easier to slice. Slice the bread, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. You can also trim the crust if you’d like. I prefer to leave it on.

Combine olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, rosemary and Italian seasoning, if using. Drizzle the dressing over bread cubes, and gently toss to coat. Feel free to add more oil or more salt. I don’t like my croutons to be too greasy, or salty, because I don’t want them to compete, but rather to complement the dishes that they will be served with.

Arrange on baking sheet in a single layer. Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees F .

Mmmm, so good! Crunchy flavorful homemade croutons ready to enjoy. I couldn’t stop sneaking them into my mouth 🙂

Croutons can be stored for weeks in airtight container or Ziploc bag.

I love to serve croutons with Split Pea Soup! The recipe is coming soon, and it has a secret ingredient that makes this soup simply irresistible!