Learning how to make homemade Croutons couldn't be simpler. Baked in 10 mins, these delicious oven-baked cubes of bread are simply tossed in olive oil and sprinkled with grated cheese using leftover bread.
What to do with Leftover Bread
There's no reason to waste bread that is a few days old and looking a little dry. Instead, make deliciously tasting oven baked croutons for soups. You can also serve croutons with salads or as a side dish. They are a simple snack to eat at any time.
They are the easiest thing to make and you can flavour them whatever takes your fancy. Or keep them plain and simple if you are counting the calories.
Ingredients Needed to Make Croutons
A full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found on the recipe card below.
- Bread - White or brown, any bread will do. Ideally at least a day or two old.
- Olive Oil - Or any vegetable oil will do. Melted butter will also be fine.
- Seasoning - I prefer to use Sea Salt and cracked black pepper. But you can use any seasoning that takes your fancy.
- Cheese - Any cheese is fine. I use grated Parmesan cheese purely because of the flavour.
Different Crouton Seasonings.
Try sprinkling the cubes of bread with other seasonings such as garlic powder or Garlic salt, or a mix of chopped herbs. Whatever takes your fancy.
Make a large enough batch to eat some now and freeze the rest for later. There's no need to bring back up to room temperature before you bake.
How to Make Croutons in the Oven
Preheat the oven to 200g conventional oven.
Whatever bread you have, day-old or even two days old bread is often best, cut into thick slices before cutting into cubes. Spread the cubes out onto a baking tray or baking sheet and toss in oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper followed by grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake in the centre of the oven for about 10 mins, or until the cheese has melted and the croutons are crispy on the outside. TIP: Set the oven timer as Croutons can overbake very quickly and become far too crispy and difficult to eat.
Tips and FAQ's for Making Oven Baked Croutons
You can freeze the cubes of bread on their own in a freezer bag and oven bake them later with the oil, seasoning and cheese.
Use oven baked croutons in salads, as a side dish, add to soups or as a snack at any time.
Homemade oven baked croutons will keep fresh in the fridge for up to a couple of weeks if wrapped well. They are ideal for freezing after baking.
If you don't want to make croutons now, freeze the bread for later. Cut the bread into cubes first. When the time comes to bake, toss the bread cubes in oil, season and sprinkle with grated cheese and bake in the oven as per the recipe.
Other Side Dishes and Snacks
Crispy Hasselback Potatoes Recipe - An ideal side dish to serve with a midweek meal.
Homemade Croutons
Equipment
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
- 3 slices of Bread White or Brown use more slices if you wish
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- Seasoning such as sea salt and cracked black pepper
- 25 g Cheese Any cheese is fine. Grated Parmesan cheese has a really nice flavour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200g conventional oven.
- Whatever bread you have, day-old bread is often best, cut into thick slices before cutting into cubes.
- Spread the cubes out onto a baking tray or baking sheet and toss in oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper followed by grated Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for about 10 mins. Or until the cheese has melted and the croutons are golden and crispy on the outside.
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