Homemade Croutons

Leftover homemade bread is perfect for croutons, especially if it is a couple days old. Baguette or French Bread are great choices. If you can’t use homemade, check out the "day old" section at your local supermarket.

Cut the bread into 3/4 to 1 inch sized cubes. Try to get them at least close to the same size so the smaller ones don’t over-cook while you wait for the larger ones to toast.

Drizzle the bread cubes with 1-2 tablespoons of melted butter or olive oil per 2 cups of bread cubes, tossing to evenly coat.

Add any seasonings you desire. Some ideas are: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, fresh herbs, or dried herbs.

Bake on a cookie sheet in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10-20 minutes, or until the bread has reached desired crunchiness. Stir the croutons every once in a while so as to insure even browning.

• Alternatively you can toast in a toaster oven.
• Make them little crunchier for use in soup since they will soak up a lot of liquid.

Cool completely before storing in an airtight container to maintain freshness and crunch.

Homemade croutons can serve many purposes: garnishing a salad or soup or to make stuffing.