Homemade Croutons!

Making croutons is SO easy. Since several of you have asked how...let me share what I do. I am sure there are other ways and would love to hear from those of you who also make croutons....I love to learn! I am only sorry that I didn't take pictures recently when I made these....

I start with a loaf of sourdough bread. It doesn't have to be sourdough...that is just my favorite. I slice the loaf a little thicker than I would for sandwiches. I then stack 3 or 4 slices together and cut them in long strips....I then cut those into cubes. The size is totally up to you....just try to imagine what size you want them in your salad....I prefer bite size pieces. Continue cutting until you have cubed the entire loaf.

I toss all of these cubes in a very large mixing bowl...sort of wide and shallow - you don't want it to be too deep or you will end up crushing all of your cubes during the stirring.

Next, I melt some wonderful home-churned butter, however, store bought will do fine. I drizzle this butter slowly over the cubes as I gently stir...almost fold....the cubes. You do not want them to get crushed. Once the cubes are lightly coated ( you do NOT want them soggy!) the fun begins....

You are now going to use a variety of herbs, cheeses or even garlic to flavor your cubes. Let your imagination run wild! I like to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese. (*HINT* The stuff in the tall, round, green container is not really Parmesan cheese....at least it does not resemble in any way, shape, form or taste what falls from my grater when I grate real Parmesan cheese....my recommendation is to go for the real thing!) I add some dried herbs from my garden....sometimes it is as simple as parsley...other times I like to use basil, thyme and rosemary...or perhaps just basil! I also like to use tarragon or lovage or lemon thyme....begin to experiment! I usually add a little freshly crushed garlic too - sometimes I melt this into the butter (my favorite way) and sometimes when I forget, I just add it to the mixture.

I gently fold this mixture again until it appears that the croutons are well and evenly coated. Now, close your eyes and pop one of the wonderful bread cubes into your mouth....if you go "yumm!" it is a success! Place the cubes in a single layer on a cookie sheet and put them into a warm oven...175 to 200 is great. Keep an eye on them and remove once they are toasted! Let them cool and then store them in air tight containers...I try to avoid plastic so I use canning jars.

This only takes about 20 minutes from start to placing them in the oven....their flavor will be so much better than anything you can find in the grocery store with the added benefit that there will be no chemicals, preservatives, "flavors" or other unknown things in your croutons. You will also find them to be MUCH less expensive!

I also recommend doing this when your children aren't around....they would eat the entire batch right off of the cookie sheet as they cooled....and, if you are like me, you will really want to have them in your salad!