Croutons

Croutons

1 loaf of bread (french, sour dough, baguette)

6-8 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons Lawry's garlic salt

fresh ground pepper

Cut bread into 1"-2" cubes.  Heat a large skillet and add olive oil and butter.  You may decide to add more olive oil depending on how big your loaf of bread was.  Give the bread a good stir to try and coat each piece of bread with the oil/butter mixture.  Cook on medium heat.  Next add the garlic salt while gently stirring the bread.  Add pepper to taste.  Heat a large skillet on medium heat and lightly stir the bread until it starts to turn a golden brown color.  Once the bread looks evenly cooked, place on a parchment lined cooked sheet and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.  The croutons should be crunchy.

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{cooks note}

I know there are a variety of ways of making homemade croutons, but I have found this is the easiest for me.  They are super easy to make and last for quite a while in a zip lock bag or an air-tight container.  The great thing is, you can easily adjust the recipe.  Butter, or no butter.  More garlic salt, less garlic salt.  You do what you like.  I also use round sour dough bread loaves and the croutons turn out amazing.  Usually whatever bread is on sale at the time is what I get.

One loaf of French bread.

Cut bread into 1"-2" cubes.  Place in a large bowl.

Garlic salt and fresh pepper.  

Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet on medium heat.  I like using butter because it helps give the croutons a great brown color that the olive oil can't achieve.

Add the cubed bread to the hot skillet and give it a good stir.  Measure in the 2 tablespoons garlic salt and pepper (to taste).  Stir to combine and cook until lightly browned.

Lay the croutons on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes or until croutons are crunchy and golden brown.  I add this extra step because usually the skillet doesn't get the croutons crunchy enough.  Take it or leave it.

Homemade croutons are so good and worth the little effort they take to make.