Garlic Herb and Parmesan Croutons

If your teeth can not bare to bite into one of those hard concrete, cut your gums, break a tooth croutons… then take about 20 mins out of your day to make a batch. You seriously won’t go back to the hard brick like variety. It’s simple, let me show you how.

You start out by cutting up some day or two old baguette. Cube it up the size you like, there is really no wrong way of doing it.

Now, mix up equal parts melted butter and olive oil… oh let’s say 5-6 tablespoons each. I just eyeball the quantities as long as they are about equal.  Remember, since this is bread, the mixture will get soaked up.  Now, we have a base. To your base you’ll add some flavor. As little or as much as you want. Today, I had on hand some garlic, some Italian spices and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Be sure to add some salt and peeper to taste.

Other things you can use to flavor your bread ?
– salad dressings
– fresh or dried herbs
– hard cheeses
– infused oils
This is where you get creative and use what it is your pantry.

Put your bread cubes onto a cooking sheet and drizzle the mixture over it. Get your hands into it and make sure all the little pieces are covered. If you’d like to add some more Parmesan cheese before baking, now is the time.

Now, it should look a little like this….

You’ll want to bake this at 400 deg F for 10-12 mins, stirring and turning occasionally until they become croutonesque.  And remember, since we don’t want concrete croutons, don’t keep them in until they turn to stone. Lightly toasted is what we are going for here. Like I said, croutonesque. (I just wanted to use my invented word twice in my blog post !)

And voila… simple, easy and the extra little effort is well worth it. (because who wants to go to the dentist because of hard croutons !!) Oh, and if you are having guests over I highly recommend making some if you are having salad. — your guest will thank you too. 🙂

I hope you make time to get lost in the kitchen today and try something new.