Don’t throw away your old bread! It is easy to make Homemade Croutons from your Stale Bread!
You know how you go to take a loaf of bread out of the freezer, that you had forgotten was in there? Well, now it is freezer burned! We have all been there!
Well don’t throw it away! It makes great croutons that are so much better for you than the store bought versions and have so many uses!
This will definitely not be necessary for the ultra processed breads with about 40 preservatives at the end of the ingredients list. (Think Wonder bread, if you are American)
That stuff will sit on the counter for 2 months and not get moldy! Think, instead of that nice, crusty loaf of French or Italian bread. Any bread that hasn’t been sliced works really well! Rye, Wheat, Oat, Sourdough all lend themselves perfectly!
You could use presliced bread, but then you will have little tiny croutons. I usually grind the pre-sliced bread into coarse crumbs and then dry them for homemade bread crumbs!
The other beautiful thing is that you can pat yourself on the back for several reasons. First you are helping reduce food waste, (which is a huge problem in the US!). Think about it, you are keeping your particular loaf of bread out of your local landfill, (which are running out of room!).
You are helping to keep your family healthy by controlling the ingredients in your croutons, in comparison to the store bought kind.
You are reducing your grocery bill and you can use up your spices faster so that you don’t have to throw them out after a couple years (that’s what the recommended time is to keep most spices or they lose their flavor).
Use bread that has been in freezer too long and has gotten hard, too! All you have to do is cut off any freezer burned spots.
How to Make Homemade Croutons
You can cut all of the crust off if you wish but it’s not neccessary! Cut into bite sized squares. Then add any spices that you like. I do different spices and mark the baggies when I store them.
Some spices that I use regularly are an Italian blend with basil, oregano and parsley. I often use dill. Thyme and sage are great for croutons that you will use for stuffing, (cornbread works well for that!). Add a touch of salt, if you wish, and some pepper.
It is easiest to put the croutons in a large plastic bag, but working with your hands in a large bowl works well too, to eliminate the plastic bag going in the landfil!.
Drizzle with olive oil. Mix. If they seem overly dry, just drizzle a little more olive oil. You don’t want the croutons drenched in olive oil. The olive oil is just used to help the spices stick.
Plain croutons are great too, in this case, I do the bread dry, with no oil! Use a slow oven, about 300°F to toast. Spread the croutons on a baking sheet, in a single layer. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the croutons are dried through but not too brown.
So next time you find that bread that was better 3 days ago, make your family some homemade croutons. Croutons are a great topping for soups, like this Curried Yellow Squash Soup.
They are obviously great for salads. I previously mentioned they make great stuffing for fish, chicken or turkey. Furthermore, in a pinch, you can grind them up in the food processor and use them for dried bread crumbs too!
Thanks for stopping by today! Enjoy! And have fun cooking!
Homemade Croutons
Ingredients
- 1 loaf stale crusty bread, such as; Italian, French, Rye, Sourdough
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp mixed spices
Instructions
- Cut any mold off of the bread. You can cut the crust off of the bread if you like but it is not mandatory!
- Cut bread into bite sized cubed pieces.
- Place cubes in a large plastic storage bag or large bowl. Drizzle olive oil all over the cubes. Add spices and shake bag or mix with hands.
- Place on a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 300°F for 20-30 minutes until dry and golden brown. Don’t let them brown too much or they will be hard.
- Cool thoroughly. Store in a plastic bag at room temperature.
Notes
For Stuffing croutons us 1.5 tsp. each sage and thyme
Other great flavors are dill weed, rosemary, onion powder, garlic powder.
Get creative! You can use any mixture of spices that you enjoy!
Nutrition
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Ginny McMeans
Everybody needs to know how to do this. Great lesson and nothing could be better than homemade coutons.
Binky
Thanks, Ginny! They are far superior to store bought croutons. Also, great not to have throw out the food!
Laura
This is a great idea. I usually make bread crumbs but with the Autumn on its way (hopefully this is the last heat wave) croutons are very handy for soups, and we will soon have plenty.
Binky
Thank you Laura! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Elaine
Croutons are one of my guilty pleasures. Christopher doesn’t eat them so he sets them aside and I grab them one by one and dip them in his dressing and pop them in my mouth. Your recipe looks fabulous though I’d be afraid to make them – easy access and all. I’ll make these at my next dinner party!
Binky
Hide them in a storage bag in the back of the closet Elaine and they will be there but you’ll forget about them! These are not really anything to feel too guilty about anyway! Just a light sprinkle of olive oil, and it doesn’t get on every one 🙂 ! Thanks your your comment!!
Thanh | Eat, Little Bird
I adore croutons! In fact, a bowl of soup doesn’t taste right without them. Great recipe!
Binky
Thank you Thanh! I agree! Salads, too are just not the same without them!
Ginny McMeans
Everybody needs to have this basic recipe that is such an improvement over store bought packaged croutons. Good instructions!
Binky
Thank you so much, Ginny! They are so much healthier! No preservatives or dyes!
Cindy Rodriguez
I absolutely LOVE the idea of reusing instead of wasting. I HAVE to try this now. I’m going on a no waste kick so i’m going to start composting too but this is a great idea! Thank you so much.
Binky
They are so much better for you too! Keep your eyes open for my post on vegetable broth! Coming soon! Thanks, Cindy!
Stephanie
This is such a great idea and good use for stale bread. I need to remember to do this time.
Binky
You can actually stash the bread in the freezer until you have time to cut it up and throw the oven on! Thanks, Stephanie!