Forget buying pre-packaged store bought croutons! You need homemade croutons in your life…and even better when they are made from a loaf of leftover homemade bread!
I made the most amazing loaf of wheat and seed bread to accompany a butter board to serve as an appetizer at our family reunion. We had so much food on hand that day and surprisingly there was a good amount of that bread leftover. And since they were already cut into cubes to use with the butter board, they provided a perfect opportunity to make delicious homemade croutons.
Making Croutons From Leftover Homemade Bread Is Very Easy!
The homemade loaf of wheat and seed bread I made became perfectly enhanced with this recipe for the croutons that I created below. The addition of the everything bagel seasoning is perfect with the sunflower and chia seeds in the bread cubes. And of course, garlic and parmesan are always perfect crouton flavorings.
Here’s my recipe below, but feel free to revise it to accommodate your favorite flavors.
Wheat And Seed Garlic Parmesan Croutons
Ingredients
- 4-6 Cups Leftover Bread-cut into 3/4" cubes
- 1/3 Cup Olive Oil
- 1 tsp. Dried Basil
- 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 2 tsps. Everything Bagel Seasoning
- 1/4 tsp Fine Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
- 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese plus extra for sprinkling on top later
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Gather all the ingredients
- Place the cubes of bread into a zip top bag-set aside
- In a bowl, add the olive oil and all the seasonings
- Use a wire whisk to blend oil and seasonings together
- Pour the seasoned oil mixture into the bag of bread cubes-use a scraper to get all the goodness into the bag
- Gently mush the bag around to completely coat the bread cubes with the seasoned oil
- Open the bag and place all the seasoned bread cubes onto a baking sheet pan lined with foil. You can spritz it with a little non-stick spray if you would like
- Spread the seasoned cubes of bread into a single layer
- Sprinkle the tops of the croutons with additional parmesan cheese
- Place into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- After 10 minutes or so, remove from oven and flip over the croutons to cook/brown on the other side
- If not dark enough, you may turn up the oven to 400 degrees for a couple of minutes. Just watch carefully to avoid burning
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely
- Use right away, or store in a sealed container for up to 1 week
- Add these croutons to soups and salads or enjoy them as a snack on their own
Soup-er Ways To Use Homemade Croutons…
Full disclosure, I ate these croutons as the most delicious snack throughout the day! They are way better than any package of store bought potato chips and even more addicting! But, when it came time for dinner and soup was the planned menu item…these delicious croutons were the perfect topper!
And for several days as I enjoyed bowls of soup for lunch and dinner, these homemade croutons continued to add the perfect taste and texture enhancement to every bowl of deliciousness!
What else can I say folks except…you NEED these homemade croutons in your life! The crumbs are just as tasty and enjoyable as the croutons themselves!
I hope you enjoy making and eating them as much as I do!
Take care, be safe, be kind and be happy! Virtual Hugs!
Chauncey
The honey roasted sunflower seeds that I used in the loaf of wheat and seed bread were incredibly delicious! They provided just the right amount of sweetness and crunch. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Salad-Pizazz-Honey-Roasted-Sunflower-Kernels-Salad-Topping-6-5-oz-Bag
I’m not gonna lie folks, I’m totally obsessed with making butter boards! They are the ultimate in simple, yet gorgeous deliciousness! Here’s the link to an earlier blog post when I first started making butter boards…https://frugalanddelicious.com/butter-boards-are-beautiful-frugal-and-delicious/
Absolute deliciousness in soups, salads and as a snack!