Homemade Croutons Recipe
This easy homemade croutons recipe uses day-old baguette, good olive oil, and coarse salt to turn stale bread into a crisp and golden topper for any salad or soup. I can have the whole tray in and out of the oven in 20 minutes. Crunchy outside and chewy in the middle.
Ingredients
- 1 baguette cut into ½” cubes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°.
- Add the cubed bread to a large bowl and toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
- Spread out on a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 375° for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned and crunchy.
- Cool and serve.
Notes
The thing that separates a real homemade crouton from a bag at the store is moisture, or rather the lack of it. A bagged crouton has been dehydrated to within an inch of its life and tastes like cardboard because there is nothing left inside it. A homemade crouton hits a different target: dry enough on the outside to crunch, just enough chew left in the middle that the bread still tastes like bread.
Use day-old bread when you can: Fresh bread holds too much moisture and ends up softer in the middle than I want, even after a full bake. Day-old bread is already dried out a little, which means the oven is finishing a job that the kitchen air started.
Single layer, every time: Stack the cubes and the bottom row steams while the top row toasts. Single layer, space between, every cube gets airflow and color on every side.
Salt the bread before the oven, not after: Salt on oiled bread sticks. Salt on a baked crouton bounces off and lands in the bottom of the bowl. If a salad needs extra seasoning, that is a separate problem for the dressing.
Push them deeper than you think: A pale crouton tastes like dry bread. A deep golden brown crouton tastes like a crouton. If they look almost too dark coming out, they are right.
Optional seasonings: A teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, or a smoked paprika each pushes the crouton toward a specific dish. Italian seasoning blend is the easy move when I want all of those at once. I add the seasonings to the bowl with the oil so they coat the bread instead of falling onto the parchment.
Parchment paper: I like adding parchment between the bread and the sheet tray, it makes the difference between an even bake and a tray with the bottom edges burnt. Worth using every time.
Make-Ahead: Make a full batch up to 3 days ahead and cool them all the way before storing. A warm crouton in a sealed container traps steam and turns soft.
How to Store: Once cooled, store in an airtight container or a sealed bag at room temperature for up to 7 days. A jar with the lid screwed on tight is what I use because it keeps the air out and the smell of the croutons in.
How to Reheat: If the croutons have lost a little crunch after a couple of days, spread them on a parchment-lined sheet tray and toast at 350°F for 4 to 6 minutes until they snap back. Let them cool a few minutes before serving.
How to Freeze: Croutons freeze for up to 2 months in a sealed bag with the air pressed out. Pull them straight from the freezer, spread on a sheet tray, and warm at 350°F for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 105kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 2gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 153mgPotassium: 28mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg