Croutons the Ol' Fashioned Way

I will never go back to expensive, break-your-teeth, store-bought croutons.  If we have bread that goes stale or gets some mold (which I cut off), I just toss it in the freezer with "crouton" scribbled on it in marker.  When it's time for a delicious salad, here's what I do:

Croutons from Scratch

1. Cut bread into 1/2"-1" chunks/squares
2. Put a couple tablespoons of olive oil and butter in a pan; melt on low and toss in bread
3. Cook on medium, stirring every so often until they start to get brown (this only takes a few minutes)
4. While they're cooking, sprinkle with salt and pepper and any other spices you like
5. When they begin to get brown, turn the pan off and just let it sit; the longer they sit in the warm pan, the crunchier they get; pull them off when they're to your taste

I usually begin this before I start anything else for a salad and let it cook while I chop and dice and mix the salad ingredients.  By the time the rest of the salad is done, the croutons are too!

Some seasoning suggestions:

• Italian: garlic powder, onion powder, & basil
• Butter & Garlic: use more butter than oil & fresh or powdered garlic
• Cheddar & Dill: use a bit of dill & put shredded cheddar on--I have not yet tried this, but I would recommend baking them at 350 instead of pan browning them if you use cheese
• Asian: totally guessing, but it seems that some powdered ginger and chives would be cool on a salmon salad or something
• Parmesan: just mix some in

Other tips:

• Make some extras & really dry them out.  Put them in a food processor and grind them up for fresh breadcrumbs.
• A hearty bread like Trader Joe's hearth -baked Tuscan Pane works wonderfully!

Have fun saving money and getting a better flavor boost to your salads!