From time to time, as a personal chef, I love to leave little surprises for my clients. For example, if they are salad eaters, and not on a restricted diet, I love to leave a bag of homemade croutons. Once ina while, it’s nice to have a buttery, crunchy sourdough crouton to bite into! Being that most of the plate is greens and fresh vegetables, I say why not!
Being that so few people eat croutons, much less homemade ones, this somehow seems like a special treat! To be sure, the quality of the ingredients matter! (In truth, it always does, doesn’t it?) In this case, I use good bread, unsalted good quality butter. (For example, Kerrygold or Trader Joe’s unsalted butter are both good choices!) Lastly, the seasoning matters! Here, I used Penzey’s Sandwich Sprinkle; if you’re not familiar with Penzey’s spices, check them out! They have fantastic spices that will up your cooking prowess. I love using their blends; Northwoods seasoning, Fox Point, Bavarian to name a few!
Below is the “recipe”. It is meant to be adapted to your taste. The only caution I would add, is to not be afraid to se this much butter. Good croutons are made with lots of butter, that’s just the way it is. So long as you’re not eating a diet of mostly croutons, this personal chef says you are going to be just fine with this amount of butter on occasion!
Homemade Croutons
1 loaf of good bread (Sourdough, french, Italian, Ciabatta; whatever you like is fine.)
1 stick of unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons (at least) of extra virgin oilve oil
All purpose seasoning (any is fine; I like to use Penzey’s Sandwich Sprinkle. If yours doesn’t have salt, don’t forget to add sea salt.)
A few smashed garlic cloves
Fresh finely chopped parsley
- Cut the bread in large bite sized pieces. Toast them in a 325 degree oven until completely dry, and starting to get a little brown around the edges.
- Heat he butter and olive oil in a pan, on low heat. When hot, add the bread cubes and season with Penzey’s Sandwich Sprinkle or all purpose seasoning and sea salt. Toss around gently every few minutes, so all sides are coated.
- After 10 minutes or so, add the smashed garlic. Continue to cook until the cubes become golden. Add more olive oil if necessary. Add the fresh parsley toward the end, and toss gently.
That’s all there is to it! They will keep for several days. If you like, you can re-crisp them up in a low oven.