Garlic and Herb Croutons

By AzWench

Here’s another very simple recipe for you. (And, really, aren’t those the best kind?) If you love croutons on your salad, I highly recommend you try making your own. It’s so simple, and they taste ever so much better than store bought croutons.

You can use just about any type of bread you like white, wheat, rye, pumpernickel, etc. You can even use bagels (wouldn’t asiago bagel croutons be divine?) or baguettes. It doesn’t have to be the sandwich bread called for in the recipe. That just makes it easy to decide how much to use, but you can be loose with the measurements in this recipe anyway. Just be sure to avoid anything with a lot of preservatives, or the bread won’t get stale enough.

Ingredients

• 1/2 About 1/2 a loaf good sandwich bread, sliced thickly
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs (such as basil, parsley, oregano, or a mix of all three)

Preparation

Step 1

Leave out bread slices overnight to dry slightly. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Cut the bread slices into cubes. Arrange the cubes in single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Melt the butter, and stir in the garlic. Drizzle garlic butter over bread cubes, tossing to coat evenly. Sprinkle with the herbs.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until browned. Use immediately, or let cool and store in airtight container.