Fast Fridays: Croutons–A Great Way to Use Up Leftover Bread

It seems counter-intuitive that bread would be further improved by more baking, but croutons demonstrate that extra baking does indeed create a wonderful texture that puts stale bread back to work. I like to take by stale bread (any kind really–French, Italian, rolls, etc), break it up into chunks (about 1 inch pieces), toss it with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper, and then toast in a 375 degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Depending on your oven, you may want to leave it for more or less time.

Be sure to look for that golden brown color (and don’t leave it to the point where the bread starts becoming evenly brown…that’s a bit burnt). Save the croutons in an airtight container and serve over salads, with tomato soup, with hummus…so many things to do.