Homemade Croutons

There is a big difference between homemade croutons, and the kind you buy in a box. The flavor, for one thing, is both nuanced and intense in the ones you make yourself. There is a freshness to homemade croutons, and a distinctively hand crafted texture. When you realize how simple it is to make them yourself, and how special they make the soup or salad they’re served with you’ll almost surely never go back to the store-bought kind.

Stale bread is much easier to work with. Bread should be coarse, country-style, not too dense: look for lots of holes within the bread, that kind will make a light crouton.

This is James Beard’s simple version of making croutons. A chopped herb or other additional ingredient may be added to the olive oil, but this is an excellent version as-is, and may be the world’s shortest method. It makes enough croutons for up to 6 servings on soup or in salad. As always, the better the bread, the more flavorful the crouton will be.

1 cup, 1/4-inch cubes of white bread
2-3 tablespoons, olive oil
1 garlic clove - finely chopped (optional)

Sauté the bread cubes in the olive oil with the garlic over medium-high heat until lightly browned on all sides, tossing them well. Do not let the bread or garlic burn. Remove to paper towels to drain and cool.

Baked Homemade Croutons

1 loaf Italian, sourdough or other rustic bread
¼ cup olive oil (can use part butter)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 - 2 tsp. paprika, cumin, thyme or dried herbs (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (See Note below). Cut the bread into 1-inch (or smaller) cubes. Place the oil in a large bowl and stir in the herbs or spices, if using. Add the bread cubes and toss by hand to coat with the oil. Sprinkle with salt and continue tossing until well coated.

Place the bread cubes on a foil- or parchment-lined baking sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until deep golden-brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: The resulting croutons will be crunchy, but chewy enough in the center to yield to a fork. If you like drier, crunchier croutons, or if you’re going to be using them for soup rather than salad, bake them for a longer time at a lower temperature, 300 degrees.

Cheese Croutons: After tossing with the oil, toss with a few tablespoons Parmesan or other cheese. These would go well with tomato soup or any Italian soup.