Help with Homemade Croutons please!

D

deb-in-mi

Well-known member
Hi there,

I've been making homemade croutons up the wazoo the last week (was that an innappropriate comment? Please know I didn't mean it to be) as research for an upcoming blog post.

Anyhow - I made both olive oil croutons and butter croutons and although I liked both - liked the butter the best.

I put the croutons (both olive oil and butter) that I didn't serve at dinner in a ziplock bag and 2 days later they had softened. Not surprising once I started thinking about it. So than last night I took a handful out of the bag and placed them on a dish and this morning they were crisp again.

Anybody else have experience with leftover croutons? I would like to be able to say that they will last longer than the day made but I'm not feeling really knowledgeable yet. Would LOVE your input.

Thanks so much!

Deb

 
Please describe your method for making your croutons, Deb. I make my own also,

a great way to put leftover bread to use. I bake a big pan of them with EVOO, store in a plastic bag, and they stay crisp forever. My guess is that yours are not completely dried out, and that's why they softened. Do you bake them or toast them on top of the stove? I use The Gourmet Cookbook method, 350 degree oven, drizzled with EVOO or butter, bake, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, 10-15 minutes, then season with salt. Herbed variations can be added.

 
Crouton talk

Croutons can be crisped and "refreshed" in the oven if they get soft. Just like crackers. I do it all the time. There is big humidity here on Kauai so crisping things is a way of life. It is easy. I heat the oven to 250 and just test the croutons until they are crisp. They do not really bake any further. Anybody anywhere can crisp croutons this way.

You didn't say if you bake your croutons or saute them on top of the stove. My favorite way is to make them for Caesar Salad- in good olive oil. I heat up some oil in a chicken fryer (high-sided 5 qt wide bottom pan), saute garlic cloves along with the bread cubes (sturdy bread like anything La Brea) until brown then I throw in a handful of good parmesan right at the end. I drain the croutons/garlic on paper towels and they are wonderful. A real favorite around here.

 
Deb, if I'm making croutons to be used right away, I saute them in oil until crisp. They don't store

well because the sauteeing doesn't dry them all the way through.

If I do them ahead it is in a 325* oven, where they slowly dry out completely and brown, with or without oil.

It's the same difference between toast from a toaster and melba toast.

I've never used butter. Hard to believe.

 
Ladies - this is what I'm doing

and (thank you) for your fast responses - so helpful!

First, I did not toast the bread ahead of time. I simply

Preheated oven to 375F

- cut up 4 cups of good bread
- added either 4 T. melted butter or 4 T. olive oi
- 1.5 Tsp.dried
- 2 T. freshly grated Parmesan.

Mix the four ingredients above in a bowl. (making sure I sponge up every possible morsel of flavor on the sides of the bowl:)

Put on baking pan, cook for 5 -7 minutes one side, flip, cook another 5 -7.

PLEASE critique away.

(the croutons I took out of the bag last night and left over night on the counter are crispy and so good now!)

With gratitude - Deb!

 
Oops - only Marianne and Cathy had posted when I started this post - so sorry Joe

when I published it you appeared above!

Thank you for your input too! (Try it with butter:)

 
I bake mine in the oven in olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper. Seem to keep forever.

It's become pretty easy for me. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a baking pan, sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper, add bread cubes and toss to coat.

Put in oven for about 10 minutes, check and stir, bake another 5 minutes. Make sure they're well browned, remove from oven, cool in the pan then store croutons in an airtight plastic or glass container.

 
I turn my oven on 200 degrees. I cut my bread up in cubes

I turn my oven on 200 degrees. I cut my bread up in cubes to make 2 ups of cubed bread. I drizzle them in 2 T EVOO or melted and cooled unsalted butter, then put them in a large freezer bag. I sprinkle them with 1/2 t each of each seasoning I want. I always use 1/2 t each salt and pepper. Then I use anything from an Italian blend, or a Mexican blend, or any blend. I spread them out on a large cookie sheet or pizza pan, with none of them touching eachother, like picky kids who don't want peas in mashed tatere, and bake them hours. Usually 2-4, depending on the humidity, which is very important. They must be totally dried out before storing in any airtight container.

 
Not an expert but here's how I do them

depending on what I am using them for I use olive oil or bacon fat and occassionally butter. If you will clarify your butter first it will remove some of the milk solids and moisture giving you a purer oil that will make them holdup well.

I toss them and put them on the pan. Then I more or les 'dry' them out on a low temp for a long time. You can brown them quickly in either a pan on the stovetop or using higher heat. Then cool the oven down a good bit before returning to 'dry' them out.

Make sure they are cool before storing. Also, I throw them in the freezer and pull out as needed. Only takes a couple of minutes to thaw them.

 
Thank you EVERYONE!

I learned something helpful from each and every one of you and I so appreciate it.

Last night, as CathyZ suggested, I toasted my croutons for a few minutes before serving and they were crisp and wonderful (thank you!).

But I'm definitely going to make it one more time with the 'drying out' method and see the difference that makes. And freeze them and then try them. All in the name of 'research'.

Big hugs of appreciation!

Deb

 
I love threads like this. Who would have ever thought you can learn so much about

bread, butter and the physical reactions of heat.

 
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