How to Make Homemade Croutons and why you should!

There are so many advantages to homemade croutons – they are healthier, cheaper, and so much nicer!!

In Tesco recently I noticed little bags of croutons for sale (I’ve seen them before, of course, but never taken any notice till now) – 75p for 100g What a surprise! Apparently they contain the following …

However, a fresh 400g loaf of Tesco’s Crusty Farmhouse is 80p and you could, buying such a loaf, make five and a bit times as many croutons, fresh and crisp and flavoured to your precise requirements. Crouton-wise I think that’s the way to go, and it’s so very easy!

Not only that, croutons are a great way of using up crusts and ends and stale pieces of bread (which I presume you have been adding to your freezer collection) and other things too, see below, and if you make your own you can season them to match your dish and your mood, so here’s how to make …

Homemade Croutons

Firstly, as I have said before I do hold very strong beliefs so far as croutons are concerned, which are that in almost all cases the bread or other item should be torn rather than diced. This creates a lot more little points and edges to go all crispy and they look so much prettier too. They are also best baked although frying is an alternative.

So this is what you do …

~   Preheat oven to a medium sort of heat (say 180ºC/350°F/160ºC fan/gas 4 but the most economical way of making croutons is to bung them in for a few minutes while something else is cooking,).
~   Tear (or in rare occasions cut) you croutons to the size you prefer.
~   Drizzle with a little olive (or bacon fat, or butter as appropriate) use 60ml per 225g bread.
~ Season and toss all together.
~   Spread on a baking tray and bake till crisp and golden. This doesn’t take long, 5-10 minutes, so keep an eye on them.

If you prefer to fry your croutons then treat the bread exactly the same but toss them about in a dry frying pan over medium high heat till crisp and brown. The result will not be quite so uniform or as crisp right through to the middle, you may need a little more oil and, of course, you have to be attentive, but still your croutons will be fresh and tasty and perfect for you.

Another bonus of homemade croutons is they are lovely hot and fresh from the oven, with soups and other hot dishes.

Ways to vary homemade croutons

Seasonings …

~   Salt and pepper (doh!), crunchy sea salt is particularly lovely
~   Garlic or onion powder if you keep such things in – I don’t, but they can be useful
~   Dried herbs
~ Finely chopped garlic
~ Finely grated lemon zest
~   Spice mixes such as Mexican spice or Jerk seasoning or garam masala etc.
~   Chilli power or crushed flakes
~   Bacon salt or other seasoned salts, eg. smoked.

Different Fats and Oils

I mostly use a light olive oil but in certain cases, such as cakes or other sweet croutons, butter is better. Or try ..

~   Bacon fat – not very good for you but delicious with some soups and salads (or just for nibbling!)
~   Flavoured oils such as chilli or garlic, the oil resulting from roasting garlic or yummy black garlic oil.
~   Oil mixed with something else for instance a little balsamic vinegar or lovely chipotle paste.
~ Flavoured butter – lots of savoury butters here, and sweet compound butters here.

Additions

~   Cheese is a good addition, grate some hard cheese such as Parmesan or mature Cheddar and toss it into the croutons when they are fully cooked. Pop back into the oven for 30 seconds or so melt it.
~ Toss shredded ham, bacon or chorizo with the bread before cooking and it will go crispy too.

Alternative Breads and Cakes

~   White sliced bread will make for a very crisp and fragile croutons and is one of the few ways I actually like this type of bread.
~   More solid and rustic breads make more solid and rustic croutons, delicious but need a good suck if you haven’t got your teeth in!
~ Cornbread – crumbly!
~   Brioche is good, use butter with it, of course.
~   Croissants are excellent because they have all sorts of crisp flakes and crevices.
~   Hot cross buns make lovely sweet spicy croutons to serve with ice cream or maybe a fruit dish. Use butter and a little soft light brown sugar.
~   Plain cake also makes good croutons for ice cream – butter and sugar again.

Uses for Croutons other than Soup

Croutons are great with soup but there are other dishes that benefit too …

~   Add to salads and not just Caesar Salad.
~   Sprinkle into an omelette just before folding and serving.
~   Make small crouton and sprinkle onto creamy pasta dishes for a lovely texture contrast, or make big flat ones and call them croûtes!

~   Instead of baking or frying the croutons, pile the torn bread on top of a hot cooked pie filling and bake till crisp for a different sort of pie crust.

Leftover Homemade Croutons?

~ Use appropriately flavoured croutons to make homemade stuffing or my delicious alternative to traditional bread sauce. Big headed or what!!
~ And here’s a cheat – if you need some crunchy breadcrumbs just wrap your croutons in a clean tea towel and run a rolling pin over them! Although, having said that, see here for some truly wonderful homemade breadcrumbs – Pangrattato!

And here are …

7 Deliciously Different ways to Use Up Leftover Bread

Incidentally …

The word crouton comes from the French meaning a small croûte, or “crust”. I have also read that it can be used to refer to a a small patch of facial hair under the lower lip or, insultingly when someone is being incompetent as in

“You, sir, are being a total crouton”!