If I ever have extra bread lying around, I always, always use it for croutons. Making your own croutons really makes a world of difference. And it’s easy. I mean, yes, it’s essentially twice-baked bread, so of course it’s simple! But the difference in taste (and texture) between buying croutons versus tossing cubed bread with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper and throwing it into the oven for 10 to 12 minutes—it’s unreal. (Did I mention it’s simple?!) The key? You need to use good-quality bread like sourdough, multigrain, or even my Easy French Bread recipe. The hard part? Trying to get the croutons to the table, since people are always stealing them off the pan! Myself included. Oops!
We love these croutons in a salad, with a bowl of soup, or as a snack. Seriously, croutons are a legitimate snack in our house. Try it.
MAKES 4 CUPS • TOTAL TIME: 20 TO 22 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups cubed sourdough or multigrain bread
3 tablespoons olive oil
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
SIMPLY SCRATCH TIP
Once you have these down, try changing things up by adding your favorite spices. I like using Italian Seasoning (here) or a sprinkle of Old Bay.