Croutons
Such an easy way to have delicious croutons on hand to crunch up any salad. These croutons go especially well with my Vegan Caesar Dressing.
I love making croutons, firstly because I like adding croutons to any salad I eat, but it’s also a great way to not create food waste by using any fresh bread you have that you don’t think you’ll be able to eat by the time it goes stale. Especially when you order Italian take out it’s a great way to use the extra ton of bread they always seem to give you so it doesn’t go to waste. My favorite bread to use for croutons is an Italian Hero bread. Other great breads to try are, Sour Dough, Ciabatta, Pumpernickel, Focaccia.
Ingredients:
Bread
4 tbs Olive Oil
2 tbs Sea Salt
2 tbs Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
2 tbs Dried Oregano
1 tbs Garlic Powder
This recipe is enough spices for 2 large Italian heroes. Be sure to adjust to taste as well as if you’re using more or less bread. Less dense breads or breads with a looser or open crumb like a sourdough will need less oil than breads with a tighter crumb. I’ll include images of what I mean below.
Preheat your oven to 375°.
Combine the Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, Dried Oregano, Garlic Powder.
Cut your bread into equal sized cubes & place in a bowl large enough to toss all the ingredients together.
Pour the oil & spice mixture over the bread cubes and toss to combine. I tend to use my hands to really make sure that the spices and oil are evenly coated. Taste a cube at this point and adjust accordingly to your own preferences.
Dump the bread onto an oven safe dish that allows all the bread to be on 1 layer & bake until golden (Typically takes about 20 minutes).
Let cool & add to your favorite salad or on top of a soup. Store in an air tight container to crunchy goodness any day of the week.