Homemade croutons

I had a half of loaf of bread that was past its prime so I decided to make homemade croutons.  This process is really quite easy and they taste so good that many of them don’t make it onto a salad at our house as they get devoured right away.

I started by cutting the bread into cubes,

Then I added one teaspoon each of olive oil and chili flavored oil to a ziplock bag.  You can use what ever oil you like but I would not recommend canola oil.

Next I added the spices – 1/2 teaspoon of each: parsley, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning to the bag.

I then added the bread cubes to the ziplock bag and shook it to make sure all the bread was coated. It works best with the gallon size but I did not have those so I made two batches.

Spread the coated bread cubes on a cookie sheet. Mine is from Pampered Chef and is well seasoned so I did not need to oil. If using a regular cookie sheet you may want to coat with cooking spray first to avoid sticking.  I sprinkled some shredded Parmesan on the cubes – this gives them some added flavor and tastes delicious in a salad. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Here is a photo of the finished product.  Let them cool completely and then store in an airtight container.  Enjoy!