Even a simple everyday salad can be punched up by quick and easy homemade croutons. An excellent use of leftover bread, these little toasty pieces can be stored in an airtight container for several weeks. Use a smattering of your favorite herbs and spices - fresh chives baked with the croutons are great in the summer, dried basil and oregano are good compliments for a salad with an italian meal, or even rosemary and dried sage taste good, particularly on wheat bread. Virtually any type of old bread will do, these were made from leftover slightly stale potato rolls.
- Slice your bread or rolls as normal, butter one side.
- Cut into squares or small pieces (they do not have to be regular)
- Toss the squares in a large plastic bag; I usually use the bread bag itself.
-Add generous amounts of your choice of spices - a good basic formula is 1 tsp garlic salt, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried parsley, cracked pepper and coarse salt. Toss and shake the bread and spices in the bag until all are evenly coated.
- Spread evenly on a baking sheet, bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes, or until croutons are toasty. Be careful, one they start to burn it only takes 20 seconds or so before they become completely unusable!
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks or so. Add them liberally to soups and salads for an extra punch of flavor.
