Croutons

A friend called me and asked, "Do you need a bunch of leftover bread ends?" She had been at a catered event where several bags of leftover ends were about to be thrown out, so naturally, I accepted them.

Believe it or not, there are a few good recipes that call for leftover or stale bread. Croutons are just one example.

A lot of people enjoy croutons in salads, and they are great in soups. If you need a "filler" for meatloaf, that works too. Personally, I enjoy them just as a snack.

The last time I purchased them, they were just under $2.00 for a 5-ounce bag, which isn't a horribly expensive price, but why not make them with leftover bread, save some money and food from going to waste.

Tools needed:

Cutting board

Serrated knife

Parchment paper

Baking Sheet(s)

Spatula

Ingredients:

Bread ends or leftover bread (day-old)

Vegetable oil

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Cut the bread into small cubes, and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Lightly spray the cooking oil and sprinkle your seasonings over the bread cubes. Use a spatula to toss them, then spray with additional oil and sprinkle more seasonings. Toss once more.

Bake for about 5 minutes, remove from the oven, stir, then bake for another 5 minutes and stir again. Check if it's done; if it's not crispy yet, bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven, let cool completely. Transfer to an air-tight container to store.

Use as you would store-bought croutons.

If you don't plan to use the croutons immediately, you can freeze them. Before serving, you might need to reheat them in the oven to restore their crispness.

Tips:

If you don't have "enough" bread ends to make a batch of croutons, start saving your leftover bread until you have enough. Just put the bread in a zipper-seal freezer bag and freeze until you are ready to use.